Daru weather in May

In May, Daru sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 234 mm of rain across 25.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Daru's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Daru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
234 mm
25.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:36 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
71%
7th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Daru is capital city of Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

Density
1,601/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Daru reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22726
32726
42726
52726
62726
72726
82726
92726
102726
112726
122726
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272725
282725
292725
302725
312725

How May really feels in Daru

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Daru 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
Jan29° / 26°25026.912.53.2
Feb29° / 26°24225.412.33.1
Mar28° / 26°28926.712.13.4
Apr28° / 26°31125.711.83.8
May27° / 26°23425.211.64.2
Jun26° / 25°16022.911.54.5
Jul26° / 25°9519.611.55.2
Aug25° / 24°8417.511.75.5
Sep26° / 25°7216.611.95.5
Oct27° / 25°11117.712.25.3
Nov28° / 26°12918.112.44.9
Dec29° / 26°20123.912.53.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22674
32773
42872
52872
62872
72872
82872
92971
103070
113070
123169
133268
143367
153367
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243664
253664
263664
273763
283763
293763
303763
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Daru gets around 234 mm of rain over 25.2 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 81% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
283
383
483
582
682
782
882
982
1082
1182
1282
1382
1481
1581
1681
1781
1881
1981
2081
2181
2281
2381
2481
2581
2681
2781
2880
2980
3080
3180

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 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
124751
224850
324949
435048
535047
635146
745145
845244
945343
1055342
1155441
1265341
1365440
1465539
1575439
1675538
1775538
1875637
1975736
2075835
2175934
2276033
2376231
2476330
2576528
2676627
2776726
2876924
2977023
3077122
3177221

Wind in May

Winds average 22 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 25 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2524breezy
2624breezy
2724breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3025breezy
3125breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:39 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:346:15
211.76:346:15
311.76:346:14
411.76:346:14
511.76:346:14
611.66:346:13
711.66:346:13
811.66:356:13
911.66:356:12
1011.66:356:12
1111.66:356:12
1211.66:356:12
1311.66:356:12
1411.66:356:11
1511.66:366:11
1611.66:366:11
1711.66:366:11
1811.66:366:11
1911.66:366:11
2011.66:376:10
2111.66:376:10
2211.66:376:10
2311.56:376:10
2411.56:376:10
2511.56:386:10
2611.56:386:10
2711.56:386:10
2811.56:386:10
2911.56:396:10
3011.56:396:10
3111.56:396:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Daru

In seasonPeak

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

Daru sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Daru's rainy season runs December–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Daru?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Daru for sightseeing.

What to pack for Daru in May

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

In May, Daru sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Daru 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 January 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
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Daru 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 Daru peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Daru?

Daru sits at 9.1°S, 143.2°E, 11 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Merauke, 315 km away.

MeraukeMendiMount HagenGorokaBuloloPort MoresbyLaeMadang

Topography around Daru

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Daru has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 46 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m.

The land around Daru is covered by water (55%) and mangroves (24%) within 3 km, water (60%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and water (63%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
46 m
80 km
80 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Merauke 315 km · Mendi 330 km · Mount Hagen 375 km · Goroka 410 km · Bulolo 431 km · Port Moresby 435 km · Lae 492 km · Madang 515 km

Papua New Guinea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 58% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,020
2025
Homicide rate
9.3
per 100k, 2010
Road deaths
12.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Roman Catholic 26%other Christian 5%non-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 Daru (-9.0779°, 143.2089°, elevation 11 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).