Whangarei weather in May

In May, Whangarei sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 75 mm of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of May to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Whangarei's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whangarei's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
7th warmest
Overnight low
11°
6th coldest
Rainfall
75 mm
9.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
8:15 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
61%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Whangarei is city in New Zealand.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 15 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
892/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Whangarei reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11912
21912
31912
41812
51812
61812
71812
81812
91812
101812
111812
121812
131812
141811
151811
161811
171711
181711
191711
201711
211711
221711
231711
241711
251711
261711
271611
281610
291610
301610
311610

Whangarei weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°688.314.16.9
Feb23° / 17°677.913.46.9
Mar22° / 15°748.712.36.8
Apr20° / 13°668.911.16.3
May17° / 11°759.610.15.7
Jun15° / 909.99.64.7
Jul15° / 11212.99.84.0
Aug15° / 961410.64.1
Sep16° / 8312.711.84.7
Oct17° / 11°6910.712.95.4
Nov19° / 12°6510.413.95.9
Dec21° / 15°7910.514.46.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54753
64753
74753
84753
94753
104852
114852
124852
134852
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195149
205248
215248
225347
235347
245347
255347
265446
275446
285446
295446
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Whangarei gets around 75 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 35% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
429
529
629
729
829
928
1028
1128
1228
1328
1428
1528
1629
1729
1830
1930
2031
2132
2232
2333
2434
2534
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3134

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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1662410
2662410
3662410
468239
568239
669229
770228
871218
971218
1072208
1174197
1274197
1375187
1475187
1576177
1677176
1777176
1878166
1979165
2079165
2180164
2281154
2381154
2482153
2582153
2683152
2784142
2884142
2985141
3086131
3186131

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of May to 9 h 48 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 8:27 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.68:036:37
210.58:046:36
310.58:056:35
410.58:056:34
510.48:066:33
610.48:076:32
710.48:086:31
810.38:096:30
910.38:106:29
1010.38:106:28
1110.38:116:27
1210.28:126:26
1310.28:136:25
1410.28:146:24
1510.18:156:23
1610.18:156:22
1710.18:166:22
1810.18:176:21
1910.08:186:20
2010.08:196:20
2110.08:196:19
2210.08:206:18
239.98:216:18
249.98:226:17
259.98:226:16
269.98:236:16
279.98:246:15
289.88:256:15
299.88:256:14
309.88:266:14
319.88:276:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 2.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Whangarei

In seasonPeak

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

Whangarei 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 Whangarei?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Whangarei for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whangarei in May

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

In May, Whangarei sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Whangarei 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 30 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 22 to Apr 5 — about 2.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug15Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whangarei in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whangarei peaks around January 14 at about 13 (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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whangarei?

Whangarei sits at 35.7°S, 174.3°E, 7 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is North Shore, 125 km away.

North ShoreMassey EastMasseyTe Atatu PeninsulaLincolnTe Atatu SouthAucklandHenderson

Topography around Whangarei

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whangarei has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 271 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 389 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 761 m.

The land around Whangarei is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and water (52%), grassland (26%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
271 m
16 km
389 m
80 km
761 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: North Shore 125 km · Massey East 125 km · Massey 126 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 127 km · Lincoln 128 km · Te Atatu South 129 km · Auckland 130 km · Henderson 130 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 Whangarei (-35.7317°, 174.3239°, elevation 7 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).