Henderson weather in May

In May, Henderson sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 107 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Henderson's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Henderson's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
7th warmest
Overnight low
14°
6th coldest
Rainfall
107 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:17 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
58%
2nd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Henderson reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11815
21815
31715
41715
51715
61715
71714
81714
91714
101714
111714
121714
131714
141714
151714
161714
171714
181714
191614
201614
211614
221613
231613
241613
251613
261613
271613
281613
291613
301613
311513

Henderson weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 18°718.714.26.6
Feb21° / 18°617.813.46.7
Mar20° / 17°67812.36.7
Apr19° / 16°829.811.16.0
May17° / 14°10712.310.15.1
Jun15° / 12°11612.79.54.1
Jul14° / 11°128159.73.6
Aug14° / 11°11515.210.63.6
Sep14° / 12°10213.411.74.0
Oct16° / 13°8411.9134.6
Nov17° / 14°7611.1145.2
Dec19° / 16°9110.914.55.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35248
45248
55149
65149
75050
85149
95149
105050
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195050
205248
215248
225347
235347
245347
255347
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Henderson gets around 107 mm of rain over 12.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 39% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
334
434
534
634
735
835
935
1035
1135
1236
1336
1437
1538
1639
1740
1841
1942
2043
2143
2244
2344
2445
2545
2645
2745
2845
2945
3045
3144

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 70% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1573211
2583111
3583111
4593110
5603010
6603010
762299
862299
964288
1065278
1165278
1267267
1368257
1469256
1570246
1670246
1772235
1872235
1973234
2074224
2175223
2276213
2377212
2478202
2578202
2679192
2780191
2880191
2981181
3081181
3182171

Wind in May

Winds average 21 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:03 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.58:036:34
210.58:046:33
310.48:056:32
410.48:066:31
510.48:076:29
610.38:086:28
710.38:096:27
810.38:106:26
910.28:116:25
1010.28:116:24
1110.28:126:23
1210.28:136:22
1310.18:146:21
1410.18:156:21
1510.18:166:20
1610.08:176:19
1710.08:186:18
1810.08:186:17
1910.08:196:16
209.98:206:16
219.98:216:15
229.98:226:14
239.98:226:14
249.88:236:13
259.88:246:12
269.88:256:12
279.88:266:11
289.78:266:11
299.78:276:10
309.78:286:10
319.78:286:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Henderson

In seasonPeak

None of Henderson's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Henderson sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Henderson?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Henderson for sightseeing.

What to pack for Henderson in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Henderson sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Henderson in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 18 to Mar 15 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Henderson in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Henderson peaks around January 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Henderson?

Henderson sits at 36.9°S, 174.6°E, 13 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Lincoln, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Henderson

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Henderson.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Henderson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 107 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 465 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 905 m.

The land around Henderson is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (21%) within 16 km, and water (57%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
107 m
16 km
465 m
80 km
905 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Lincoln 2.0 km · Te Atatu South 3.0 km · Massey 5.0 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 5.0 km · Massey East 6.0 km · New Lynn 7.0 km · Titirangi 7.0 km · Avondale 7.0 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Henderson (-36.8801°, 174.6198°, elevation 13 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).