Port Moresby weather in May

In May, Port Moresby sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 81 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-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 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 Port Moresby's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Moresby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
8th warmest
Overnight low
24°
6th coldest
Rainfall
81 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:21 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
73%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Port Moresby is capital of Papua New Guinea.

Density
1,182/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 Port Moresby reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°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)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192824
202824
212824
222824
232824
242824
252824
262824
272824
282824
292824
302824
312824

How May really feels in Port Moresby

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 18 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
18
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 Moresby weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°22922.912.53.4
Feb29° / 24°19520.912.33.4
Mar29° / 24°27624.912.13.4
Apr29° / 24°17720.211.84.0
May29° / 24°8112.211.65.2
Jun28° / 23°518.611.56.2
Jul28° / 23°295.211.56.8
Aug28° / 23°346.411.76.8
Sep28° / 23°457.811.95.9
Oct29° / 24°621112.25.2
Nov30° / 24°11015.512.44.4
Dec30° / 24°17021.212.53.6

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31981
41981
52080
62179
72179
82278
92377
102575
112674
122773
132872
142971
153070
163169
173169
183169
193268
203367
213367
223466
233565
243565
253565
263664
273763
283862
293862
303961
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Port Moresby gets around 81 mm of rain over 12.2 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 40% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
251
349
448
547
646
745
844
944
1043
1142
1242
1341
1441
1541
1640
1740
1839
1939
2038
2137
2236
2335
2434
2533
2633
2732
2831
2930
3030
3129

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 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1066331
2066331
3066430
4076330
5076429
6086428
7086527
8096526
9096526
10096625
11096724
12096724
130106723
140106723
150106723
160106822
17096922
18097021
19097021
20097120
21097120
22097219
23187318
24187417
25187417
26187516
27187615
28187615
29187714
30187813
31187813

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

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 6:18 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 5:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:185:59
211.76:195:58
311.76:195:58
411.66:195:58
511.66:195:57
611.66:195:57
711.66:195:57
811.66:195:56
911.66:195:56
1011.66:205:56
1111.66:205:56
1211.66:205:55
1311.66:205:55
1411.66:205:55
1511.66:205:55
1611.66:215:55
1711.66:215:55
1811.66:215:54
1911.56:215:54
2011.56:215:54
2111.56:225:54
2211.56:225:54
2311.56:225:54
2411.56:225:54
2511.56:235:54
2611.56:235:54
2711.56:235:54
2811.56:235:54
2911.56:245:54
3011.56:245:54
3111.56:245:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Port Moresby

In seasonPeak

None of Port Moresby'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 Moresby sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Port Moresby's monsoon runs December–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Port Moresby?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Port Moresby for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Port Moresby in May

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

In May, Port Moresby sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Port Moresby 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 at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in January at about 29°C and coldest in August 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
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Port Moresby 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 Moresby peaks around March 10 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 highExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Port Moresby?

Port Moresby sits at 9.5°S, 147.2°E, 25 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Popondetta, 143 km away.

PopondettaBuloloLaeGorokaDaruMadangMount HagenMendi

Topography around Port Moresby

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Moresby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 402 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,978 m.

The land around Port Moresby is covered by water (69%) within 3 km, water (53%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
229 m
16 km
402 m
80 km
3,978 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Popondetta 143 km · Bulolo 259 km · Lae 307 km · Goroka 424 km · Daru 435 km · Madang 497 km · Mount Hagen 515 km · Mendi 534 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 Port Moresby (-9.4772°, 147.1509°, elevation 25 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).