Nkayi weather in May

In May, Nkayi sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 69 mm of rain across 13.9 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 30°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Nkayi's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkayi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
7th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:09 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
76%
1st clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Nkayi is city in Bouenza department, Republic of Congo.

Density
6,867/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 30°C by the end.

A typical May day in Nkayi reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193023
203023
213023
223023
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
302922
312922

How May really feels in Nkayi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 30 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
30
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.

Nkayi weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°13522.612.23.2
Feb31° / 23°11818.812.13.1
Mar32° / 23°12520.8123.0
Apr31° / 23°15021.511.93.0
May31° / 23°6913.911.84.2
Jun28° / 21°30.611.86.7
Jul28° / 19°10.211.87.3
Aug28° / 20°30.711.96.8
Sep29° / 21°113.2125.6
Oct31° / 23°8315.212.13.8
Nov31° / 23°15824.312.23.0
Dec30° / 23°17525.112.23.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21486
31486
41585
51585
61684
71783
81783
91882
102080
112179
122278
132377
142476
152476
162575
172575
182674
192575
202575
212476
222377
232377
242278
252179
262080
271981
281783
291783
301684
311783

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Nkayi gets around 69 mm of rain over 13.9 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 45% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
271
370
468
567
666
764
863
961
1059
1157
1255
1353
1450
1548
1646
1743
1841
1938
2036
2133
2231
2329
2427
2525
2623
2721
2819
2917
3015
3114

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 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10937
20946
30946
40946
50955
61945
71945
81954
92944
102953
113943
123943
134942
145932
156922
167921
179901
1810891
1911881
2013861
2115841
2216831
2318820
2420800
2522780
2625750
2727730
2830700
2933670
3036640
3139610

Wind in May

Winds average 4 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
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:086:00
211.96:085:59
311.86:085:59
411.86:085:59
511.86:085:59
611.86:085:59
711.86:085:58
811.86:085:58
911.86:085:58
1011.86:085:58
1111.86:085:58
1211.86:085:58
1311.86:095:58
1411.86:095:58
1511.86:095:57
1611.86:095:57
1711.86:095:57
1811.86:095:57
1911.86:095:57
2011.86:095:57
2111.86:095:57
2211.86:095:57
2311.86:105:57
2411.86:105:57
2511.86:105:57
2611.86:105:57
2711.86:105:57
2811.86:105:57
2911.86:115:57
3011.86:115:57
3111.86:115:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Nkayi

In seasonPeak

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

Nkayi'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 Nkayi?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Nkayi for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nkayi in May

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

In May, Nkayi sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Nkayi in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nkayi peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeMar 16UV 15Jun 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug7High
Sep11Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Nkayi 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 Nkayi is worst in July — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.9× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 2167 µg/m³Nov 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun41Poor
Jul68Unhealthy
Aug61Unhealthy
Sep44Poor
Oct21Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Nkayi?

Nkayi sits at 4.2°S, 13.3°E, 181 m above sea level, in Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Kayes, 2.0 km away.

SibitiLoutétéDolisieMouyondziBelize

Topography around Nkayi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nkayi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 158 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 311 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 m.

The land around Nkayi is covered by grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and trees (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
80 m
16 km
311 m
80 km
797 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kayes 2.0 km · Loudima 25 km · Bouansa 53 km · Sibiti 56 km · Loutété 64 km · Dolisie 69 km · Mouyondzi 74 km · Belize 77 km

Republic of the Congo travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 35% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,515
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
46%
of population, 2021
Road deaths
29.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 33%Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22%Protestant 20%none 11%

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 Nkayi (-4.184°, 13.2859°, elevation 181 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).