El Castillo weather in May

In May, El Castillo sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 220 mm of rain across 25.9 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is El Castillo's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Castillo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
220 mm
25.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:19 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
82%
7th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

El Castillo is historic village in Río San Juan Department, Nicaragua.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical May day in El Castillo reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73124
83124
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213124
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283124
293124
303124
313124

How May really feels in El Castillo

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

El Castillo weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 22°6020.211.45.0
Feb29° / 22°4115.911.64.9
Mar30° / 22°311211.94.9
Apr31° / 23°4713.412.23.9
May31° / 24°22025.912.52.7
Jun30° / 24°29729.612.62.5
Jul30° / 23°27130.312.62.7
Aug30° / 23°26029.912.42.6
Sep31° / 23°29029.412.12.4
Oct30° / 23°30129.711.82.7
Nov29° / 23°2122611.53.3
Dec28° / 22°11224.211.44.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32575
42575
52476
62476
72377
82278
92179
102080
112080
121981
131783
141783
151585
161486
171387
181288
191189
201090
211090
22991
23892
24892
25892
26892
27694
28694
29694
30694
31694

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

El Castillo gets around 220 mm of rain over 25.9 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 84% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
267
368
469
570
671
772
874
975
1076
1178
1279
1381
1483
1584
1686
1788
1889
1991
2092
2193
2294
2394
2495
2595
2695
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

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 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
177815
267915
367816
457916
557916
647917
747917
847818
947719
1047620
1137522
1237324
1337126
1436928
1526830
1626632
1726434
1816336
1916138
2015940
2115841
2215643
2315544
2415346
2505347
2605248
2705050
2804951
2904852
3004753
3104753

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
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 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:23 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:235:46
212.45:235:46
312.45:225:47
412.45:225:47
512.45:225:47
612.45:215:47
712.45:215:47
812.45:215:47
912.55:205:48
1012.55:205:48
1112.55:205:48
1212.55:205:48
1312.55:195:48
1412.55:195:49
1512.55:195:49
1612.55:195:49
1712.55:195:49
1812.55:185:49
1912.55:185:50
2012.55:185:50
2112.55:185:50
2212.55:185:50
2312.65:185:51
2412.65:185:51
2512.65:175:51
2612.65:175:51
2712.65:175:52
2812.65:175:52
2912.65:175:52
3012.65:175:52
3112.65:175:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.27 kWh/m² to a high of 5.42 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 4.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for El Castillo

In seasonPeak

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

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

El Castillo's rainy season runs May–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit El Castillo?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in El Castillo.

What to pack for El Castillo in May

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

In May, El Castillo sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near El Castillo 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 69 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in El Castillo 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 El Castillo peaks around March 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 19UV 14Dec 16UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in El Castillo 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 El Castillo is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1623 µg/m³Dec 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr18Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is El Castillo?

El Castillo sits at 11.0°N, 84.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is San Carlos, 43 km away.

San CarlosNueva GuineaSan José

Topography around El Castillo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Castillo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,141 m.

The land around El Castillo is covered by trees (69%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, trees (67%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
128 m
16 km
403 m
80 km
2,141 m
treesgrasslandcroplandwater
May weather nearby: San Carlos 43 km · La Fortuna 67 km · Nueva Guinea 75 km · Quesada 77 km · San José 81 km · Monteverde 91 km · Cañas 101 km · San_Ramon_ 104 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 El Castillo (11.0189°, -84.397°, elevation 0 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).