Aguas Calientes weather in May

In May, Aguas Calientes sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 61 mm of rain across 19.5 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 13°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Aguas Calientes's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aguas Calientes's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
7th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Rainfall
61 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:05 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
65%
4th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Aguas Calientes is town in Cusco, Peru.

Founded
1901

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 13°C through the month.

A typical May day in Aguas Calientes reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1145
2145
3145
4144
5144
6144
7144
8144
9144
10134
11134
12134
13134
14134
15134
16134
17134
18134
19134
20134
21134
22134
23134
24134
25134
26133
27133
28133
29133
30133
31133

Aguas Calientes weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 26830.90.112.71.9
Feb13° / 24627.90.112.41.9
Mar14° / 23930.9012.11.9
Apr14° / 14228.1011.72.2
May13° / 6119.5011.43.0
Jun13° / 3713.2011.23.3
Jul12° / 3913.20.511.33.2
Aug13° / 5719.30.411.62.8
Sep13° / 8926.1011.92.2
Oct14° / 14930.3012.32.1
Nov14° / 17429.20.112.62.1
Dec14° / 24030.70.112.82.0

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 30% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
33070
43268
53367
63565
73664
83862
93961
104060
114159
124258
134357
144456
154555
164654
174753
184753
194852
204951
214951
225050
235050
245149
255248
265248
275347
285446
295446
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Aguas Calientes gets around 61 mm of rain over 19.5 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 64% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
280
379
478
576
675
774
873
972
1071
1169
1268
1367
1466
1565
1663
1762
1861
1960
2058
2157
2256
2355
2454
2553
2652
2751
2850
2950
3049
3149

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 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 6:01 AM to 6:09 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:015:33
211.56:015:33
311.56:025:33
411.56:025:32
511.56:025:32
611.56:025:31
711.56:025:31
811.56:035:31
911.56:035:30
1011.46:035:30
1111.46:035:30
1211.46:035:29
1311.46:045:29
1411.46:045:29
1511.46:045:28
1611.46:055:28
1711.46:055:28
1811.46:055:28
1911.46:055:27
2011.46:065:27
2111.46:065:27
2211.36:065:27
2311.36:065:27
2411.36:075:27
2511.36:075:27
2611.36:075:26
2711.36:085:26
2811.36:085:26
2911.36:085:26
3011.36:095:26
3111.36:095:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 4.7 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
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Aguas Calientes

In seasonPeak

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

Aguas Calientes's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Aguas Calientes?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Aguas Calientes.

What to pack for Aguas Calientes in May

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

In May, Aguas Calientes sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 4°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Aguas Calientes 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 Aguas Calientes peaks around January 23 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 9 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeJan 23UV 18Jul 9UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan19Extreme
Feb18Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov16Extreme
Dec16Extreme

Air quality in Aguas Calientes 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 Aguas Calientes is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1616 µg/m³Jan 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun6Good
Jul8Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Aguas Calientes?

Aguas Calientes sits at 13.2°S, 72.5°W, 0 m above sea level, in Peru. The nearest listed city is Machu Picchu, 0.0 km away.

Topography around Aguas Calientes

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aguas Calientes has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,013 m around an average of 2,604 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,049 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,623 m.

The land around Aguas Calientes is covered by trees (93%) within 3 km, trees (61%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (50%) and trees (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
2,013 m
16 km
4,049 m
80 km
5,623 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandbare terrainsnow and ice
May weather nearby: Machu Picchu 0.0 km · Quillabamba 37 km · Santa Ana 38 km · Abancay 66 km · Santiago 71 km · Wanchaq 73 km · Cusco 73 km · Andahuaylas 109 km

Peru travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 51% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$9,684
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.6
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
13.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 519
Religion
Catholic 76%Evangelical Christian 16%no religion 5%other religions 3%

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 Aguas Calientes (-13.1552°, -72.5226°, 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. 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).