Islamabad weather in May

In May, Islamabad sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 37 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 36°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Islamabad's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Islamabad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
21°
8th coldest
Rainfall
37 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:12 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
39%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Islamabad is capital city of Pakistan.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 32.3 µg/m³ · 2020
Density
664/km²
people per km²
Founded
1960

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 36°C by the end.

A typical May day in Islamabad reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13219
23219
33220
43220
53220
63220
73320
83320
93320
103321
113321
123321
133421
143421
153421
163421
173421
183422
193522
203522
213522
223522
233522
243522
253522
263523
273623
283623
293623
303623
313623

How May really feels in Islamabad

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 28 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
28
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.

Islamabad weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 706.6105.6
Feb18° / 1158.810.76.0
Mar23° / 12°12410.111.76.8
Apr28° / 17°828.612.86.1
May34° / 21°377.613.73.4
Jun36° / 25°617.714.22.2
Jul34° / 25°16318142.8
Aug32° / 25°16417.813.33.4
Sep32° / 22°698.412.24.7
Oct28° / 17°293.311.27.3
Nov23° / 11°303.210.38.4
Dec18° / 313.39.87.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47228
57228
67327
77426
87426
97624
107723
117822
127822
137921
148020
158119
168218
178218
188317
198317
208515
218515
228515
238515
248614
258713
268713
278713
288713
298713
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Islamabad gets around 37 mm of rain over 7.6 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 24% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
324
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2722
2822
2922
3021
3121

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 40% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
139382210
239372310
339372310
439372310
539372410
638372410
738372410
838372410
937372420
1036372420
1136382420
1235392420
1335392420
1434402320
1534402330
1634412330
1734412230
1834412230
1935412230
2035412220
2135412120
2235422120
2335422120
2435422120
2535432120
2635432020
2734432020
2834432020
2934432030
3033432030
3133432041

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:25 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 7:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:256:45
213.45:246:46
313.45:236:46
413.45:226:47
513.45:216:48
613.55:206:49
713.55:196:49
813.55:186:50
913.65:176:51
1013.65:176:52
1113.65:166:53
1213.65:156:53
1313.75:146:54
1413.75:136:55
1513.75:136:56
1613.75:126:56
1713.85:116:57
1813.85:106:58
1913.85:106:59
2013.85:096:59
2113.95:087:00
2213.95:087:01
2313.95:077:01
2413.95:077:02
2513.95:067:03
2614.05:067:04
2714.05:057:04
2814.05:057:05
2914.05:047:06
3014.05:047:06
3114.15:047:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.18 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.08 kWh/m² to a high of 7.18 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.18 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.3Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Islamabad

In seasonPeak

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

Islamabad sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in June.

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

Is May a good time to visit Islamabad?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Islamabad. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Islamabad in May

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

In May, Islamabad sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Islamabad 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 Islamabad peaks around May 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateMay 22UV 10Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov2Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Islamabad 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 Islamabad is worst in January — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (May, 21 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Islamabad's WHO annual average of 32.3 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorJan 1048 µg/m³May 1922 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar33Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov43Poor
Dec48Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Islamabad?

Islamabad sits at 33.7°N, 73.0°E, 579 m above sea level, in Pakistan. The nearest listed city is Murree, 38 km away.

PeshawarSialkotĀsmārAsadābādMarkaz-e Woluswalī-ye ĀchīnJalālābād

Topography around Islamabad

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Islamabad has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 504 m around an average of 613 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,135 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,726 m.

The land around Islamabad is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (42%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 16 km, and trees (35%) and cropland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
504 m
16 km
1,135 m
80 km
2,726 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Murree 38 km · Muzaffarabad 82 km · Peshawar 139 km · Sialkot 195 km · Āsmār 213 km · Asadābād 216 km · Markaz-e Woluswalī-ye Āchīn 220 km · Jalālābād 251 km

Pakistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,596
2025
Happiness
4.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
45%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 493
Religion
Muslim 96%Hindu 2%Christian 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 Islamabad (33.7215°, 73.0433°, elevation 579 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).