Sainte-Marie weather in May

In May, Sainte-Marie sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 74 mm of rain across 16 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sainte-Marie's 5th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sainte-Marie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
7th warmest
Overnight low
19°
6th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
16 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:44 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
48%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sainte-Marie reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12420
22420
32420
42420
52420
62420
72420
82320
92320
102319
112319
122319
132319
142319
152319
162319
172319
182319
192319
202319
212319
222319
232319
242218
252218
262218
272218
282218
292218
302218
312218

Sainte-Marie weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 22°25121.713.14.9
Feb26° / 22°24421.912.74.5
Mar26° / 22°2192212.15.0
Apr25° / 21°7816.711.55.8
May23° / 19°7416116.2
Jun21° / 17°401110.86.6
Jul21° / 16°3611.910.96.5
Aug21° / 16°341011.36.8
Sep21° / 17°3610.111.96.8
Oct23° / 18°471112.56.7
Nov24° / 19°8415.4136.1
Dec25° / 21°13818.913.25.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 32% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36832
46832
56832
66832
76832
86733
96832
106832
116832
126832
137030
147030
157030
167228
177228
187228
197426
207426
217525
227525
237624
247624
257723
267723
277822
287822
297921
307921
317921

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sainte-Marie gets around 74 mm of rain over 16 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 51% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
252
352
452
553
653
753
854
954
1054
1154
1254
1354
1454
1553
1653
1752
1852
1951
2051
2150
2249
2348
2448
2547
2646
2746
2845
2944
3044
3143

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 26% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10739522
20841502
30843481
40944451
501046431
601147411
701248391
801249371
901351351
1001452331
1101553311
1201554301
1301655281
1401756261
1511857240
1611858230
1711959210
1811960200
1911962180
2012062170
2112063160
2212064150
2322163140
2422164130
2522165120
2622265110
2722365100
2822365100
293246490
303256390
313266380

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of May to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:385:52
211.26:385:52
311.26:385:51
411.26:395:50
511.26:395:50
611.26:405:49
711.16:405:49
811.16:405:48
911.16:415:48
1011.16:415:47
1111.16:425:47
1211.16:425:46
1311.16:435:46
1411.06:435:45
1511.06:435:45
1611.06:445:44
1711.06:445:44
1811.06:455:44
1911.06:455:43
2011.06:455:43
2110.96:465:42
2210.96:465:42
2310.96:475:42
2410.96:475:42
2510.96:485:41
2610.96:485:41
2710.96:485:41
2810.96:495:41
2910.96:495:41
3010.86:505:40
3110.86:505:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 7.17 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sainte-Marie

In seasonPeak

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

Sainte-Marie sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Sainte-Marie's monsoon runs December–March, 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 Sainte-Marie?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sainte-Marie for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sainte-Marie in May

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

In May, Sainte-Marie sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Sainte-Marie in May

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 28°C and coldest in August near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul24Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct24Warm
Nov25Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Sainte-Marie in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sainte-Marie peaks around January 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 highExtremeJan 18UV 16Jun 23UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Sainte-Marie?

Sainte-Marie sits at 20.9°S, 55.6°E, 9 m above sea level, in Reunion. The nearest listed city is Sainte-Suzanne, 6.0 km away.

Sainte-SuzanneSaint-DenisSaint-AndréLa PossessionSaint-BenoîtLe PortSaint-PaulSaint-Leu

Topography around Sainte-Marie

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sainte-Marie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,258 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,030 m.

The land around Sainte-Marie is covered by water (41%), trees (23%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and water (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
223 m
16 km
2,258 m
80 km
3,030 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Sainte-Suzanne 6.0 km · Saint-Denis 11 km · Saint-André 13 km · La Possession 23 km · Saint-Benoît 23 km · Le Port 27 km · Saint-Paul 32 km · Saint-Leu 41 km

Reunion travel facts

Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz

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 Sainte-Marie (-20.8969°, 55.5506°, elevation 9 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).