Whakatane weather in May

In May, Whakatane sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 119 mm of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Whakatane's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whakatane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
8th warmest
Overnight low
10°
5th coldest
Rainfall
119 mm
9.6 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:10 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
52%
1st clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Whakatane is town in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Density
4/km²
people per km²

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 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Whakatane reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 18°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)
11811
21811
31811
41711
51711
61711
71711
81711
91711
101710
111710
121710
131710
141710
151710
161610
171610
181610
191610
201610
211610
221610
23169
24169
25169
26169
27159
28159
29159
30159
31159

Whakatane 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
Jan22° / 15°889.114.36.9
Feb23° / 16°94813.56.9
Mar21° / 14°1018.712.36.8
Apr19° / 12°1179.7116.2
May16° / 10°1199.6105.4
Jun14° / 13910.59.44.2
Jul14° / 137119.63.8
Aug14° / 12411.210.54.1
Sep15° / 11911.211.74.6
Oct17° / 10°11011.4135.4
Nov19° / 12°939.614.16.1
Dec21° / 14°11711.614.66.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35644
45644
55545
65545
75545
85545
95545
105644
115743
125743
135743
145842
155842
165842
175842
185842
195941
205941
215941
226040
236040
246040
256040
266139
276040
286040
296040
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Whakatane gets around 119 mm of rain over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1731
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176186
276186
377176
477176
577176
679165
779165
880155
980155
1082144
1182144
1283134
1383134
1483134
1584124
1685123
1785123
1885123
1986113
2086113
2186113
2287103
2388102
248992
258992
268992
278992
289082
299082
309082
319181

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of May to 9 h 36 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 7:56 AM to 8:22 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.47:566:23
210.47:576:21
310.47:586:20
410.37:596:19
510.38:006:18
610.38:016:17
710.28:016:16
810.28:026:15
910.28:036:14
1010.18:046:13
1110.18:056:12
1210.18:066:11
1310.08:076:10
1410.08:086:09
1510.08:096:08
1610.08:106:07
179.98:116:06
189.98:116:05
199.98:126:04
209.88:136:04
219.88:146:03
229.88:156:02
239.88:166:02
249.78:166:01
259.78:176:00
269.78:186:00
279.78:195:59
289.68:205:59
299.68:205:58
309.68:215:58
319.68:225:57

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.38 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Whakatane

In seasonPeak

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

Whakatane 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 Whakatane?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Whakatane for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whakatane in May

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

In May, Whakatane sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Whakatane in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 13 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 22 to Mar 26 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whakatane 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 Whakatane peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whakatane?

Whakatane sits at 38.0°S, 177.0°E, 11 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rotorua, 68 km away.

TaupoGisborneCambridgeHamilton EastHamiltonNapier

Topography around Whakatane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whakatane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 376 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,483 m.

The land around Whakatane is covered by trees (29%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, water (45%), trees (25%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
209 m
16 km
376 m
80 km
1,483 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Rotorua 68 km · Tauranga 78 km · Taupo 113 km · Gisborne 118 km · Cambridge 136 km · Hamilton East 150 km · Hamilton 151 km · Napier 171 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 Whakatane (-37.9586°, 176.9854°, elevation 11 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).