Ponce weather in May

In May, Ponce sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 86 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-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 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ponce's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponce's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
6th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:57 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
64%
11th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Ponce is historic district in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Founded
1646

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 Ponce reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 4°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 cooler than June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162723
172723
182723
192723
202723
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272824
282824
292824
302824
312824

How May really feels in Ponce

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.

Ponce weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 22°227117.5
Feb26° / 22°216.411.47.5
Mar26° / 22°368.811.97.1
Apr27° / 22°5411.912.46.4
May27° / 23°8615.612.85.6
Jun28° / 24°4812.713.15.7
Jul29° / 24°5511.8135.6
Aug29° / 25°7715.412.65.0
Sep28° / 24°12418.912.14.6
Oct28° / 24°10519.611.65.0
Nov27° / 23°7614.411.25.9
Dec26° / 22°287.610.97.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36040
45941
55743
65644
75446
85347
95149
104951
114753
124654
134555
144456
154258
164258
174159
184159
194060
204060
213862
223961
233961
243961
253961
263961
273961
284159
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ponce gets around 86 mm of rain over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
247
348
448
549
650
750
851
951
1052
1152
1252
1352
1452
1552
1652
1751
1851
1951
2050
2150
2250
2350
2450
2549
2649
2749
2848
2947
3047
3146

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 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1245530
2244540
3242560
4241570
5239590
6238600
7236620
8234640
9232660
10130690
11128710
12126730
13124750
14022780
15020800
16018820
17016840
18015850
19013870
20012880
21011881
22010891
23010891
2409901
2509892
2609892
2709892
2809892
2908902
3008902
3108902

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:046:43
212.76:046:43
312.76:036:44
412.76:036:44
512.76:026:44
612.76:026:45
712.76:016:45
812.76:016:45
912.86:006:46
1012.86:006:46
1112.85:596:46
1212.85:596:47
1312.85:596:47
1412.85:586:47
1512.85:586:48
1612.85:576:48
1712.95:576:48
1812.95:576:49
1912.95:566:49
2012.95:566:50
2112.95:566:50
2212.95:566:50
2312.95:556:51
2412.95:556:51
2512.95:556:51
2612.95:556:52
2713.05:556:52
2813.05:556:53
2913.05:546:53
3013.05:546:53
3113.05:546:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ponce

In seasonPeak

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

Ponce sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Ponce sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.

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

Is May a good time to visit Ponce?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ponce for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ponce in May

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

In May, Ponce sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ponce 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 15 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Ponce 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 Ponce peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 15UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Ponce 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 Ponce is worst in July — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1025 µg/m³Jan 15 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May15Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ponce?

Ponce sits at 18.0°N, 66.6°W, 15 m above sea level, in Puerto Rico. The nearest listed city is Yauco, 24 km away.

YaucoLa PargueraSan GermánManatíCayeyBarcelonetaAreciboGuayama

Topography around Ponce

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponce has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 178 m around an average of 33 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,046 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,307 m.

The land around Ponce is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
178 m
16 km
1,046 m
80 km
1,307 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
May weather nearby: Yauco 24 km · La Parguera 45 km · San Germán 45 km · Manatí 48 km · Cayey 50 km · Barceloneta 50 km · Arecibo 52 km · Guayama 54 km

Puerto Rico travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 78% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$40,620
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2015
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
14.6
per 100k, 2023
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 56%Protestant 33%none 7%other 2%

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 Ponce (18.0103°, -66.624°, elevation 15 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. 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).