Invercargill weather in May

In May, Invercargill sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 107 mm of precipitation across 15.6 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of May to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Invercargill's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Invercargill's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
8th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Precipitation
107 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
9:06 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
72%
9th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Invercargill is city in New Zealand's Southland region.

Air quality
Good
PM10 23.6 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
118/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical May day in Invercargill reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1138
2138
3138
4138
5138
6138
7138
8138
9138
10138
11138
12128
13128
14128
15127
16127
17127
18127
19127
20127
21127
22117
23117
24117
25117
26117
27117
28116
29116
30116
31116

Invercargill weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 11°11814.215.24.9
Feb17° / 12°9712.1145.1
Mar16° / 10°9813.512.44.5
Apr14° / 9513.510.73.7
May12° / 10715.69.22.7
Jun10° / 9315.68.51.9
Jul / 8414.98.81.8
Aug10° / 8114.8102.2
Sep12° / 9315.211.62.7
Oct13° / 11917.513.33.0
Nov14° / 11116.414.83.5
Dec16° / 10°10915.515.54.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23169
33169
43169
53268
63268
73070
83070
93070
102971
112971
122773
132773
142773
152773
162773
172773
182773
192872
202872
212872
222971
232971
242971
253070
263070
273070
283169
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Invercargill gets around 107 mm of rain and snow over 15.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
345
445
546
646
747
848
948
1049
1150
1250
1351
1451
1552
1652
1752
1852
1952
2052
2152
2252
2352
2452
2552
2652
2752
2852
2952
3052
3152

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 20 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 21 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
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of May to 8 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:47 AM to 9:23 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.98:476:41
29.88:486:39
39.88:506:38
49.88:516:36
59.78:526:34
69.78:536:33
79.68:556:32
89.68:566:30
99.58:576:29
109.58:596:27
119.49:006:26
129.49:016:25
139.39:036:23
149.39:046:22
159.39:056:21
169.29:066:19
179.29:076:18
189.19:096:17
199.19:106:16
209.19:116:15
219.09:126:14
229.09:136:13
239.09:146:12
248.99:166:11
258.99:176:10
268.99:186:09
278.89:196:08
288.89:206:07
298.89:216:07
308.79:226:06
318.79:236:05

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 1.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 1.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Invercargill?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Invercargill.

What to pack for Invercargill in May

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

In May, Invercargill sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 7°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

rain geara warm layera windbreaker

Sea temperature near Invercargill in May

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 17 km away) is warmest in February at about 15°C and coldest in August near 10°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Bracing
Feb15Cool
Mar15Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Invercargill in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Invercargill peaks around January 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb8Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Low
Sep3Moderate
Oct5High
Nov7Very high
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Invercargill?

Invercargill sits at 46.4°S, 168.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Queenstown, 154 km away.

QueenstownDunedinWanakaTekapoTimaruFranz JosefAshburtonRolleston

Topography around Invercargill

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Invercargill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,492 m.

The land around Invercargill is covered by grassland (45%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
193 m
80 km
1,492 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Queenstown 154 km · Dunedin 176 km · Wanaka 199 km · Tekapo 314 km · Timaru 318 km · Franz Josef 365 km · Ashburton 384 km · Rolleston 446 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 Invercargill (-46.4°, 168.35°, elevation 6 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. 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).