Port Harcourt weather in May

In May, Port Harcourt sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 281 mm of rain across 29.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-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 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 Port Harcourt's 7th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Harcourt's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
281 mm
29.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:22 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
88%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Port Harcourt is capital of Rivers State, Nigeria.

Density
5,889/km²
people per km²
Founded
1912

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 Port Harcourt reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 6°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)
13125
23125
33125
43125
53125
63125
73125
83125
93125
103125
113025
123025
133024
143024
153024
163024
173024
183024
193024
203024
213024
223024
233024
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
303024
313024

How May really feels in Port Harcourt

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.

Port Harcourt weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 24°4913.211.83.7
Feb32° / 24°7917.911.83.0
Mar31° / 25°17727.2122.5
Apr31° / 25°23127.612.12.5
May30° / 24°28129.512.22.6
Jun29° / 24°34129.112.32.9
Jul28° / 23°32429.112.23.3
Aug28° / 23°26528.512.23.5
Sep28° / 23°32429.7122.9
Oct29° / 23°31530.811.92.7
Nov30° / 24°17726.611.82.9
Dec31° / 24°5415.511.73.9

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 5% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5793
6793
7793
8793
9793
10892
11892
12892
13892
14892
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20793
21793
22694
23694
24694
25595
26595
27496
28496
29397
30397
31397

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Port Harcourt gets around 281 mm of rain over 29.5 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 95% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
194
294
394
494
594
694
794
894
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1795
1895
1995
2095
2195
2296
2396
2496
2596
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 85% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1496
2496
3595
4595
5595
6595
7595
8694
9694
10694
11793
12793
13892
14991
151090
161189
171288
181387
191585
201783
211882
222080
232278
242476
252674
262872
273070
283169
293367
303565
313763

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 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
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 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 6:24 AM to 6:22 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:246:34
212.26:246:34
312.26:246:34
412.26:236:34
512.26:236:34
612.26:236:34
712.26:236:34
812.26:236:34
912.26:236:34
1012.26:226:34
1112.26:226:34
1212.26:226:34
1312.26:226:34
1412.26:226:34
1512.26:226:35
1612.26:226:35
1712.26:226:35
1812.26:226:35
1912.26:226:35
2012.26:216:35
2112.26:216:35
2212.26:216:35
2312.26:216:36
2412.26:216:36
2512.26:216:36
2612.26:216:36
2712.26:216:36
2812.26:226:36
2912.36:226:37
3012.36:226:37
3112.36:226:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.21 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 4.2 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Bright
254.0Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Port Harcourt

In seasonPeak

None of Port Harcourt's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Port Harcourt sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is May a good time to visit Port Harcourt?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Port Harcourt.

What to pack for Port Harcourt in May

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

In May, Port Harcourt 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 Port Harcourt 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 46 km away) is warmest in March 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
Jun28Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Port Harcourt 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 Port Harcourt peaks around April 9 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highApr 9UV 13Jan 1UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Port Harcourt 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 Port Harcourt is worst in January — around 95 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.7× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1893 µg/m³Aug 2026 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan95Unhealthy
Feb84Unhealthy
Mar53Poor
Apr45Poor
May34Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec79Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Port Harcourt?

Port Harcourt sits at 4.8°N, 7.0°E, 16 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Okrika, 9.0 km away.

Owerri

Topography around Port Harcourt

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Harcourt has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 m.

The land around Port Harcourt is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and mangroves (21%) within 3 km, mangroves (35%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
18 m
16 km
38 m
80 km
131 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Okrika 9.0 km · Buguma 17 km · Obonoma 26 km · Degema Hulk 29 km · Bonny 40 km · Elele 42 km · Aba 54 km · Owerri 79 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 Port Harcourt (4.7774°, 7.0134°, elevation 16 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).