Balboa weather in May

In May, Balboa sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 223 mm of rain across 28.4 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

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 Balboa's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balboa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
223 mm
28.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:02 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
90%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Balboa is town in Panama.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Balboa reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How May really feels in Balboa

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.

Balboa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°184.711.56.2
Feb29° / 24°102.611.76.4
Mar30° / 24°11311.96.0
Apr30° / 25°7813.312.24.5
May29° / 25°22328.412.43.0
Jun29° / 25°24829.512.52.8
Jul29° / 25°27030.112.52.8
Aug29° / 25°26530.412.32.8
Sep29° / 25°25329.512.12.9
Oct28° / 24°25429.911.83.0
Nov28° / 24°2502711.63.4
Dec29° / 24°10517.211.54.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% 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 (%)
11486
21387
31288
41288
51090
61090
71090
8892
9892
10892
11793
12793
13793
14793
15694
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21496
22496
23496
24496
25496
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31595

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Balboa gets around 223 mm of rain over 28.4 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 91% and peaks near 98% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
278
380
482
583
684
786
887
988
1089
1190
1290
1391
1491
1592
1692
1793
1893
1994
2094
2194
2295
2395
2496
2596
2696
2797
2897
2997
3097
3198

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 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
115544
215346
305248
405050
504852
604753
704555
804456
904357
1004258
1104159
1204060
1303961
1403862
1503763
1603664
1703664
1803565
1903565
2003565
2103565
2203565
2303565
2403664
2503664
2603664
2703664
2803763
2903763
3003763
3103763

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:06 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:066:25
212.36:066:25
312.36:056:25
412.36:056:25
512.36:056:25
612.36:056:25
712.46:046:25
812.46:046:26
912.46:046:26
1012.46:036:26
1112.46:036:26
1212.46:036:26
1312.46:036:26
1412.46:036:26
1512.46:026:27
1612.46:026:27
1712.46:026:27
1812.46:026:27
1912.46:026:27
2012.46:026:28
2112.46:026:28
2212.46:026:28
2312.46:016:28
2412.46:016:28
2512.56:016:29
2612.56:016:29
2712.56:016:29
2812.56:016:29
2912.56:016:30
3012.56:016:30
3112.56:016:30

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.15 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Balboa

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Balboa?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Balboa.

What to pack for Balboa in May

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

In May, Balboa sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Balboa in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in June at about 29°C and coldest in March near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Balboa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balboa peaks around June 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeJun 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Balboa 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 Balboa is worst in July — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1627 µg/m³Nov 1014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Balboa?

Balboa sits at 8.9°N, 79.6°W, 0 m above sea level, in Panama. The nearest listed city is El Chorrillo, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Balboa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balboa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 182 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 516 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,168 m.

The land around Balboa is covered by trees (29%), water (28%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
182 m
16 km
516 m
80 km
1,168 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: El Chorrillo 2.0 km · Ancón 2.0 km · Curundú 3.0 km · Panama City 7.0 km · Arraiján 8.0 km · Veracruz 9.0 km · Río Abajo 12 km · Parque Lefevre 13 km

Panama travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
110 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 45% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$19,790
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 491
Religion
Evangelical 55%Roman Catholic 33%none 10%

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 Balboa (8.9481°, -79.5667°, elevation 0 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).