Ile-Ife weather in May

In May, Ile-Ife sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 168 mm of rain across 24.5 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-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 oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ile-Ife's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ile-Ife's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
7th warmest
Overnight low
23°
10th coldest
Rainfall
168 mm
24.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:28 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
83%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Ile-Ife is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria founded sometime between the years 1000 BC and 500 BC.

Density
313/km²
people per km²
Founded
1000

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 Ile-Ife reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°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 about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133023
143023
153023
163023
173023
183023
193023
203023
213023
223023
233023
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293023
303023
313023

How May really feels in Ile-Ife

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.

Ile-Ife weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 22°143.711.63.7
Feb34° / 23°297.211.83.0
Mar33° / 24°721611.92.8
Apr32° / 24°10319.412.23.1
May30° / 23°16824.512.33.1
Jun29° / 23°2042712.43.2
Jul28° / 22°19327.412.43.6
Aug28° / 22°18525.612.23.9
Sep29° / 22°21827.5123.2
Oct30° / 22°16525.211.83.2
Nov31° / 23°399.811.74.2
Dec33° / 22°92.511.64.3

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 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21585
31585
41486
51486
61486
71486
81486
91486
101387
111387
121387
131288
141288
151288
161189
171189
181189
191189
201189
211090
22991
23991
24991
25991
26892
27892
28892
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ile-Ife gets around 168 mm of rain over 24.5 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 79% and peaks near 86% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
274
375
476
576
676
777
877
977
1077
1177
1277
1378
1478
1578
1679
1779
1879
1980
2080
2180
2281
2381
2482
2583
2683
2784
2884
2985
3085
3186

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 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17426
27426
37426
47525
57525
67525
77525
87525
97525
107525
117525
127525
137525
147525
157525
167525
177525
187624
197624
207723
217723
227822
237921
248020
258119
268317
278416
288515
298713
308812
318911

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 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
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
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 24 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 6:31 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:316:47
212.36:316:47
312.36:316:47
412.36:306:47
512.36:306:47
612.36:306:47
712.36:296:47
812.36:296:47
912.36:296:47
1012.36:296:47
1112.36:296:48
1212.36:286:48
1312.36:286:48
1412.36:286:48
1512.36:286:48
1612.36:286:48
1712.36:286:48
1812.36:286:49
1912.46:276:49
2012.46:276:49
2112.46:276:49
2212.46:276:49
2312.46:276:49
2412.46:276:50
2512.46:276:50
2612.46:276:50
2712.46:276:50
2812.46:276:50
2912.46:276:51
3012.46:276:51
3112.46:276:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.57 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 4.45 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ile-Ife

In seasonPeak

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

Ile-Ife's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Ile-Ife sees seasonal dust haze (January–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 Ile-Ife?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ile-Ife.

What to pack for Ile-Ife in May

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

In May, Ile-Ife sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Ile-Ife in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ile-Ife peaks around March 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 23UV 12Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Ile-Ife 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 Ile-Ife is worst in January — around 170 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 3.8× the cleanest month (July, 45 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 17168 µg/m³Jul 2345 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan170Very unhealthy
Feb158Very unhealthy
Mar86Unhealthy
Apr72Unhealthy
May58Unhealthy
Jun52Poor
Jul45Poor
Aug46Poor
Sep58Unhealthy
Oct78Unhealthy
Nov100Unhealthy
Dec157Very unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ile-Ife?

Ile-Ife sits at 7.5°N, 4.6°E, 295 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Gbongan, 23 km away.

Topography around Ile-Ife

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ile-Ife has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 103 m around an average of 274 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 871 m.

The land around Ile-Ife is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, trees (87%) within 16 km, and trees (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
103 m
16 km
489 m
80 km
871 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Gbongan 23 km · Ilesa 26 km · Ede 31 km · Osogbo 32 km · Modakeke 35 km · Ijebu-Jesa 36 km · Ilobu 40 km · Olupona 43 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 Ile-Ife (7.4824°, 4.5603°, elevation 295 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).