Chinandega weather in May

In May, Chinandega sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 266 mm of rain across 21.5 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chinandega's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chinandega's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
11th coldest
Rainfall
266 mm
21.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:27 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
69%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Chinandega is Urban center of Chinandega Municipality, Nicaragua..

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 35°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chinandega reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13526
23526
33526
43526
53526
63526
73526
83526
93526
103526
113526
123526
133526
143426
153426
163426
173425
183425
193425
203325
213325
223325
233325
243325
253325
263325
273325
283325
293225
303225
313225

How May really feels in Chinandega

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Chinandega weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 24°20.511.33.6
Feb35° / 24°20.611.63.1
Mar36° / 25°51.611.92.5
Apr36° / 26°367.512.32.2
May34° / 25°26621.512.62.2
Jun33° / 25°3262312.72.5
Jul34° / 25°16717.212.72.6
Aug33° / 25°24922.512.42.4
Sep32° / 24°38426.912.12.4
Oct31° / 24°37324.911.72.9
Nov32° / 24°809.211.44.1
Dec34° / 24°61.711.34.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35446
45446
55347
65149
74951
84852
94654
104555
114258
123961
133763
143565
153268
163169
172872
182773
192575
202476
212377
222179
232080
242080
251981
261981
271981
281783
291783
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chinandega gets around 266 mm of rain over 21.5 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 69% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
249
350
451
553
654
755
857
958
1060
1161
1263
1365
1467
1569
1671
1772
1874
1976
2077
2179
2280
2381
2482
2583
2683
2784
2884
2985
3085
3185

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
103206017
203196018
303186019
403185920
503175921
602175922
712165823
812165724
912155626
1012155527
1112145429
1212145231
1312135133
1412135035
1511124838
1611114740
1701104543
1801104445
190194347
200184150
210174052
220163954
230053857
240053758
250043660
260043561
270033463
280033364
290023266
300023167
310013069

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 5:25 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:325:59
212.55:325:59
312.55:325:59
412.55:316:00
512.55:316:00
612.55:306:00
712.55:306:00
812.55:306:00
912.55:296:01
1012.55:296:01
1112.55:296:01
1212.55:286:01
1312.65:286:01
1412.65:286:02
1512.65:286:02
1612.65:276:02
1712.65:276:02
1812.65:276:03
1912.65:276:03
2012.65:276:03
2112.65:266:04
2212.65:266:04
2312.65:266:04
2412.65:266:04
2512.65:266:05
2612.75:266:05
2712.75:266:05
2812.75:266:05
2912.75:266:06
3012.75:256:06
3112.75:256:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.78 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.01 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.1Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chinandega

In seasonPeak

In May, Chinandega sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Chinandega sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Chinandega's monsoon runs August–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Chinandega?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chinandega.

What to pack for Chinandega in May

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

In May, Chinandega sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chinandega in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 26 km away) is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Chinandega in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chinandega peaks around March 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 22UV 13Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Chinandega in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Chinandega is worst in April — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateApr 2234 µg/m³Jan 1511 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Chinandega?

Chinandega sits at 12.6°N, 87.1°W, 69 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is El Viejo, 5.0 km away.

LeónSomotilloLa Paz CentroNagaroteCiudad Choluteca

Topography around Chinandega

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chinandega has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m around an average of 66 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,767 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,751 m.

The land around Chinandega is covered by trees (43%), cropland (24%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and cropland (39%) within 16 km, and water (38%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
73 m
16 km
1,767 m
80 km
1,751 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: El Viejo 5.0 km · Chichigalpa 13 km · Corinto 17 km · León 35 km · Somotillo 52 km · La Paz Centro 59 km · Nagarote 74 km · Ciudad Choluteca 75 km

Nicaragua travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,173
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.3
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
16.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 512
Religion
Roman Catholic 45%Protestant 39%none 14%other 1%

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 Chinandega (12.6295°, -87.1313°, elevation 69 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).