Rivas weather in May

In May, Rivas sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 179 mm of rain across 21.1 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 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 Rivas's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rivas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
179 mm
21.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:24 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
68%
7th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Rivas is Urban area of the Rivas 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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Rivas reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12926
22926
32926
42926
52926
62926
72926
82926
92926
102926
112926
122926
132926
142926
152926
162926
172926
182926
192926
202926
212926
222926
232926
242926
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How May really feels in Rivas

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.

Rivas 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
Jan27° / 24°18711.47.5
Feb28° / 24°103.511.67.8
Mar29° / 24°72.311.97.3
Apr29° / 25°20612.26.0
May29° / 26°17921.112.54.0
Jun28° / 25°23728.312.73.2
Jul28° / 25°20928.812.63.3
Aug28° / 25°21429.112.43.3
Sep28° / 25°2632912.13.2
Oct28° / 25°28328.711.73.6
Nov28° / 25°11017.711.55.2
Dec27° / 24°319.511.36.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25248
35248
45149
55050
64951
74951
84654
94456
104357
114159
123961
133664
143664
153466
163268
173070
183070
192971
202971
212773
222773
232773
242674
252575
262575
272575
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rivas gets around 179 mm of rain over 21.1 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 68% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
244
346
447
549
650
752
854
955
1057
1159
1261
1363
1465
1567
1669
1771
1873
1975
2077
2178
2280
2381
2482
2583
2685
2786
2887
2987
3088
3189

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 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
138017
238017
328117
428018
528018
627919
727919
827820
917920
1017821
1117722
1217623
1317524
1417425
1517326
1617227
1717128
1817029
1917029
2016930
2116831
2216732
2306832
2406733
2506634
2606535
2706436
2806337
2906139
3006040
3105941

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

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 5:29 AM to 5:22 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:295:53
212.45:285:53
312.45:285:53
412.45:275:53
512.45:275:53
612.45:275:53
712.55:265:53
812.55:265:54
912.55:265:54
1012.55:255:54
1112.55:255:54
1212.55:255:54
1312.55:255:55
1412.55:245:55
1512.55:245:55
1612.55:245:55
1712.55:245:56
1812.55:235:56
1912.55:235:56
2012.65:235:56
2112.65:235:56
2212.65:235:57
2312.65:235:57
2412.65:235:57
2512.65:225:58
2612.65:225:58
2712.65:225:58
2812.65:225:58
2912.65:225:59
3012.65:225:59
3112.65:225:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 5.99 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Rivas

In seasonPeak

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

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

Rivas's monsoon runs May–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 Rivas?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Rivas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rivas in May

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

In May, Rivas sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Rivas 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 33 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Rivas 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 Rivas peaks around March 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 20UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Rivas 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 Rivas is worst in July — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Dec 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr19Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rivas?

Rivas sits at 11.4°N, 85.8°W, 69 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is San Juan del Sur, 21 km away.

NandaimeGranadaJinotepeMasatepeDiriambaMasayaSan Marcos

Topography around Rivas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rivas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,619 m.

The land around Rivas is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, trees (40%), water (30%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and water (59%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
170 m
16 km
342 m
80 km
1,619 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: San Juan del Sur 21 km · Nandaime 43 km · Granada 56 km · Jinotepe 61 km · Masatepe 63 km · Diriamba 65 km · Masaya 66 km · San Marcos 66 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 Rivas (11.4398°, -85.8275°, 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).