New Plymouth weather in May

In May, New Plymouth sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 183 mm of rain across 14.1 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is New Plymouth's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Plymouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
7th warmest
Overnight low
13°
6th coldest
Rainfall
183 mm
14.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
8:24 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
59%
6th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

New Plymouth is city of New Zealand in Taranaki Region.

Density
39/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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 16°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical May day in New Plymouth reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 17°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)
11614
21614
31614
41613
51613
61613
71613
81613
91613
101613
111613
121613
131513
141513
151513
161513
171513
181513
191513
201513
211512
221512
231512
241512
251512
261512
271412
281412
291412
301412
311412

New Plymouth weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 16°10510.114.46.1
Feb20° / 17°1038.913.56.3
Mar19° / 16°10910.612.36.1
Apr17° / 14°15412.5115.2
May15° / 13°18314.19.94.3
Jun13° / 11°18514.69.33.4
Jul13° / 10°18916.29.53.0
Aug12° / 10°17716.210.53.0
Sep13° / 11°17315.611.73.2
Oct14° / 12°17114.9133.7
Nov15° / 13°13412.314.14.5
Dec17° / 15°16013.314.75.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35050
45050
55149
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
194951
204951
215050
225050
235050
245050
254951
264951
275050
285050
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

New Plymouth gets around 183 mm of rain over 14.1 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 45% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
942
1042
1142
1242
1343
1443
1544
1645
1746
1846
1947
2048
2148
2249
2349
2449
2549
2649
2749
2849
2949
3049
3149

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
175214
275214
375214
475214
577203
677203
777203
878193
979192
1080182
1181172
1281172
1382162
1482162
1582162
1683152
1783152
1884151
1985141
2085141
2186131
2287121
2387121
2488111
2588111
2689101
2789101
289091
299181
309181
319271

Wind in May

Winds average 22 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:09 AM to 8:36 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.48:096:32
210.38:106:31
310.38:116:30
410.38:126:29
510.28:136:28
610.28:146:26
710.28:156:25
810.18:166:24
910.18:176:23
1010.18:186:22
1110.08:196:21
1210.08:206:20
1310.08:216:19
149.98:226:18
159.98:236:17
169.98:246:16
179.88:256:15
189.88:266:14
199.88:276:13
209.88:276:13
219.78:286:12
229.78:296:11
239.78:306:10
249.68:316:10
259.68:326:09
269.68:336:08
279.68:336:08
289.68:346:07
299.58:356:07
309.58:366:06
319.58:366:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.8 kWh/m² to a high of 7.39 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit New Plymouth?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit New Plymouth for sightseeing.

What to pack for New Plymouth in May

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

In May, New Plymouth sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

rain geara warm layera windbreaker

Sea temperature near New Plymouth 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 19 km away) is warmest in February at about 20°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

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

12°14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb20Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in New Plymouth in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in New Plymouth 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 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7High
Apr5Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is New Plymouth?

New Plymouth sits at 39.1°S, 174.1°E, 64 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Whanganui, 127 km away.

WhanganuiHamilton EastHamiltonCambridgeTaupoPalmerston NorthLevinRotorua

Topography around New Plymouth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around New Plymouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,459 m.

The land around New Plymouth is covered by trees (33%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, water (43%) and grassland (38%) within 16 km, and water (45%), trees (28%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
106 m
16 km
665 m
80 km
2,459 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Whanganui 127 km · Hamilton East 177 km · Hamilton 177 km · Cambridge 177 km · Taupo 178 km · Palmerston North 194 km · Levin 202 km · Rotorua 214 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 New Plymouth (-39.0667°, 174.0833°, elevation 64 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).