Lae weather in May

In May, Lae sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 652 mm of rain across 24.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of May to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lae's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lae's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
7th coldest
Rainfall
652 mm
24.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:17 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
84%
6th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Lae is city in Papua New Guinea.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Lae reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52624
62624
72624
82624
92624
102624
112624
122624
132624
142624
152624
162624
172624
182624
192624
202624
212624
222624
232624
242624
252624
262623
272623
282623
292623
302623
312623

Lae weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 24°57325.712.33.8
Feb28° / 24°42522.912.23.9
Mar27° / 24°61826.2123.8
Apr27° / 24°69724.411.94.0
May26° / 24°65224.411.74.2
Jun26° / 23°59223.611.64.3
Jul25° / 23°51824.811.64.3
Aug25° / 23°52525.111.84.4
Sep26° / 23°46622.9124.5
Oct26° / 23°48923.112.14.5
Nov27° / 24°58023.212.34.2
Dec27° / 24°68226.312.43.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
51090
61090
71189
81288
91288
101288
111387
121288
131486
141486
151486
161585
171585
181684
191684
201684
211684
221684
231684
241783
251783
261783
271783
281783
291783
301783
311684

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lae gets around 652 mm of rain over 24.4 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 79% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
183
282
382
482
582
682
782
881
981
1081
1180
1280
1379
1479
1578
1678
1777
1877
1977
2076
2176
2276
2376
2476
2576
2676
2776
2876
2977
3077
3177

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 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10793
20793
30793
40793
50793
60793
70793
80793
90892
100892
110892
120991
1311089
1411188
1511188
1611287
1711386
1811485
1911584
2011683
2111782
2211881
2311980
2412079
2512178
2612178
2712277
2812376
2912376
3012475
3112475

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of May to 11 h 36 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 6:16 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:166:02
211.86:166:02
311.86:166:02
411.86:166:01
511.76:166:01
611.76:166:01
711.76:166:01
811.76:176:00
911.76:176:00
1011.76:176:00
1111.76:176:00
1211.76:176:00
1311.76:176:00
1411.76:175:59
1511.76:175:59
1611.76:175:59
1711.76:185:59
1811.76:185:59
1911.76:185:59
2011.76:185:59
2111.76:185:59
2211.76:185:59
2311.76:195:59
2411.76:195:59
2511.76:195:59
2611.76:195:59
2711.76:195:59
2811.76:205:59
2911.66:205:59
3011.66:205:59
3111.66:205:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.28 kWh/m² to a high of 4.64 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 3.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Lae

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Lae?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lae for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lae in May

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

In May, Lae sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 24 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Lae 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 22 km away) is warmest in January at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Lae in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lae peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Lae?

Lae sits at 6.7°S, 147.0°E, 44 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Bulolo, 66 km away.

GorokaMadangPopondettaPort MoresbyMount HagenKimbeMendi

Topography around Lae

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lae has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,440 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,081 m.

The land around Lae is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and water (35%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
181 m
16 km
1,440 m
80 km
4,081 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Bulolo 66 km · Goroka 191 km · Madang 214 km · Popondetta 265 km · Port Moresby 307 km · Mount Hagen 320 km · Kimbe 371 km · Mendi 375 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 Lae (-6.7233°, 146.9961°, elevation 44 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).