Abuja weather in May

In May, Abuja sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 130 mm of rain across 18.4 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 30°C by the end. 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 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Abuja's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Abuja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
130 mm
18.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:14 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
78%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Abuja is capital city of Nigeria.

Founded
1828

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 32°C in the first days to 30°C by the end.

A typical May day in Abuja 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 about 3°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173124
183124
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293023
303023
313023

How May really feels in Abuja

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.

Abuja 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
Jan34° / 21°20.611.53.9
Feb35° / 23°51.311.72.9
Mar36° / 25°203.911.92.4
Apr34° / 25°529.412.23.0
May31° / 24°13018.412.43.4
Jun29° / 22°19523.212.53.6
Jul28° / 22°25728.112.53.6
Aug27° / 21°31429.212.33.5
Sep28° / 22°28527.512.13.3
Oct30° / 22°13720.811.83.7
Nov33° / 22°101.911.64.4
Dec34° / 21°10.211.54.2

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22377
32377
42377
52278
62278
72278
82377
92377
102377
112476
122377
132377
142476
152377
162377
172377
182278
192179
202179
212080
221981
231783
241684
251684
261585
271486
281387
291387
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Abuja gets around 130 mm of rain over 18.4 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 59% and peaks near 73% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
245
346
447
549
650
751
852
953
1054
1155
1256
1356
1457
1558
1659
1759
1860
1961
2062
2163
2264
2365
2466
2568
2669
2770
2871
2972
3073
3173

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 93% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111485
211386
311386
411287
511188
611188
711089
801090
90991
100892
110892
120793
130793
140694
150694
160595
170595
180496
190496
200397
210397
220397
230298
240298
250298
260298
270298
280298
290298
300298
310298

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
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
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 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 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 6:18 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:186:37
212.36:176:37
312.36:176:37
412.36:176:37
512.36:166:37
612.46:166:37
712.46:166:37
812.46:166:37
912.46:156:38
1012.46:156:38
1112.46:156:38
1212.46:156:38
1312.46:146:38
1412.46:146:38
1512.46:146:38
1612.46:146:39
1712.46:146:39
1812.46:146:39
1912.46:136:39
2012.46:136:39
2112.46:136:40
2212.46:136:40
2312.56:136:40
2412.56:136:40
2512.56:136:41
2612.56:136:41
2712.56:136:41
2812.56:136:41
2912.56:136:41
3012.56:136:42
3112.56:136:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Abuja

In seasonPeak

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

Abuja's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Abuja sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in March.

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

Is May a good time to visit Abuja?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Abuja.

What to pack for Abuja in May

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

In May, Abuja sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Abuja in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Abuja peaks around September 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highSep 16UV 12Dec 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Abuja 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 Abuja is worst in February — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.1× the cleanest month (July, 25 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1198 µg/m³Jul 2025 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan93Unhealthy
Feb100Unhealthy
Mar74Unhealthy
Apr57Unhealthy
May34Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct46Poor
Nov53Poor
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Abuja?

Abuja sits at 9.1°N, 7.5°E, 476 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Kuje, 35 km away.

AkwangaLapaiKachiaKafanchan

Topography around Abuja

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Abuja has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 m around an average of 495 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 583 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 909 m.

The land around Abuja is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (33%), trees (21%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (44%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
141 m
16 km
583 m
80 km
909 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Kuje 35 km · Suleja 37 km · Keffi 48 km · Nasarawa 62 km · Akwanga 101 km · Lapai 101 km · Kachia 104 km · Kafanchan 105 km

Nigeria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 13% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,224
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
15.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Muslim 54%other Christian 35%Roman Catholic 11%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 Abuja (9.0579°, 7.4951°, elevation 476 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. 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).