Calabar weather in May

In May, Calabar sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 341 mm of rain across 29.6 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Calabar's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Calabar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
341 mm
29.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:16 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
89%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Calabar is city in Nigeria.

Density
894/km²
people per km²

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 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Calabar reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°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)
13124
23124
33124
43124
53124
63124
73124
83124
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173024
183024
193024
203024
213024
223024
233024
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
303024
313024

How May really feels in Calabar

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.

Calabar weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 24°4010.811.73.7
Feb33° / 24°7015.611.82.9
Mar32° / 25°18727.1122.4
Apr31° / 24°28128.212.12.4
May30° / 24°34129.612.22.5
Jun29° / 23°40029.412.32.8
Jul28° / 23°42230.212.33.1
Aug28° / 23°3903012.23.2
Sep29° / 23°42029.7122.8
Oct29° / 23°39530.611.92.7
Nov30° / 24°1942611.82.9
Dec32° / 24°4812.611.74.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 96%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1595
2496
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16496
17496
18595
19496
20496
21496
22496
23496
24397
25397
26397
27397
28397
29397
30397
31397

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Calabar gets around 341 mm of rain over 29.6 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 96% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
195
295
395
495
595
695
795
895
995
1095
1195
1295
1395
1495
1595
1695
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2597
2697
2797
2897
2997
3097
3197

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1595
2595
3694
4694
5694
6694
7793
8793
9793
10793
11892
12892
13892
14991
151090
161090
171189
181288
191387
201486
211585
221783
231882
241981
252179
262278
272476
282575
292773
302971
313070

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:16 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:196:29
212.26:186:29
312.26:186:29
412.26:186:29
512.26:186:29
612.26:186:29
712.26:176:29
812.26:176:29
912.26:176:29
1012.26:176:29
1112.26:176:29
1212.26:176:29
1312.26:176:29
1412.26:166:29
1512.26:166:30
1612.26:166:30
1712.26:166:30
1812.26:166:30
1912.26:166:30
2012.26:166:30
2112.26:166:30
2212.26:166:30
2312.26:166:31
2412.26:166:31
2512.36:166:31
2612.36:166:31
2712.36:166:31
2812.36:166:31
2912.36:166:32
3012.36:166:32
3112.36:166:32

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.43 kWh/m² to a high of 5.27 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 4.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.0Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Moderate
294.0Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Calabar

In seasonPeak

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

Calabar's rainy season runs April–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Calabar sees seasonal dust haze (December–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is May a good time to visit Calabar?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Calabar.

What to pack for Calabar in May

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

In May, Calabar sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Calabar 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 38 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in August 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
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Calabar 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 Calabar peaks around April 11 at about 13 (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 highExtremeExtremeVery highApr 11UV 13Dec 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Calabar 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 Calabar is worst in February — around 145 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.3× the cleanest month (August, 44 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyFeb 11142 µg/m³Aug 1345 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan128Unhealthy
Feb145Unhealthy
Mar83Unhealthy
Apr70Unhealthy
May58Unhealthy
Jun51Poor
Jul46Poor
Aug44Poor
Sep50Poor
Oct60Unhealthy
Nov68Unhealthy
Dec113Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Calabar?

Calabar sits at 5.0°N, 8.3°E, 37 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Esuk Oron, 19 km away.

BamussoEkondo TitiOhafia-Ifigh

Topography around Calabar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Calabar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 99 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,066 m.

The land around Calabar is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) within 3 km, trees (60%) within 16 km, and trees (68%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
99 m
80 km
1,066 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Esuk Oron 19 km · Uyo 45 km · Itu 47 km · Eket 57 km · Ikot Ekpene 72 km · Bamusso 85 km · Ekondo Titi 88 km · Ohafia-Ifigh 93 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 Calabar (4.9589°, 8.327°, elevation 37 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. 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).