Apia weather in May

In May, Apia sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 207 mm of rain across 24.6 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Apia's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Apia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
11th coldest
Rainfall
207 mm
24.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
7:42 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
60%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Apia is capital of Samoa.

Density
326/km²
people per km²
Founded
1850

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 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Apia reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°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)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302726
312726

Apia weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°36027.612.73.7
Feb28° / 26°32724.712.53.8
Mar28° / 26°27127.312.13.8
Apr28° / 26°21825.611.74.0
May28° / 26°20724.611.44.4
Jun27° / 26°14321.611.24.8
Jul27° / 25°1382111.35.1
Aug27° / 25°12121.111.55.1
Sep27° / 25°1592211.94.8
Oct27° / 25°22724.912.34.4
Nov27° / 25°27125.712.64.0
Dec28° / 26°34627.212.83.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45446
55446
65446
75446
85347
95446
105347
115248
125149
135149
145050
154951
164951
174753
184753
194852
204753
214753
224753
234852
244852
254951
265050
275050
285149
295248
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Apia gets around 207 mm of rain over 24.6 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 79% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
181
281
381
481
581
681
781
880
980
1080
1180
1280
1380
1480
1580
1680
1780
1880
1980
2080
2180
2279
2379
2479
2578
2678
2777
2877
2976
3076
3175

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 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1025741
2035641
3035641
4035740
5035839
6045739
7045838
8045937
9045937
10046036
11046135
12046135
13046234
14046333
15046432
16046432
17046531
18046630
19146530
20156529
21156628
22156628
23166627
24166627
25176626
26176626
27176725
28176725
29176725
30176824
31176824

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

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 7:39 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.57:397:10
211.57:397:09
311.57:397:09
411.57:397:08
511.57:407:08
611.57:407:07
711.47:407:07
811.47:407:07
911.47:417:06
1011.47:417:06
1111.47:417:06
1211.47:417:05
1311.47:427:05
1411.47:427:05
1511.47:427:04
1611.47:427:04
1711.47:437:04
1811.37:437:04
1911.37:437:03
2011.37:447:03
2111.37:447:03
2211.37:447:03
2311.37:447:03
2411.37:457:03
2511.37:457:02
2611.37:457:02
2711.37:467:02
2811.37:467:02
2911.37:467:02
3011.37:477:02
3111.37:477:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 4.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Apia?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Apia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Apia in May

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

In May, Apia sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Apia in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 13 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 28°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
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Apia in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Apia peaks around February 14 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 highExtremeFeb 14UV 17Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb18Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Apia?

Apia sits at 13.8°S, 171.8°W, 9 m above sea level, in Samoa. The nearest listed city is Pago Pago, 125 km away.

Topography around Apia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Apia has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 451 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,148 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,824 m.

The land around Apia is covered by water (41%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (45%) within 16 km, and water (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
451 m
16 km
1,148 m
80 km
1,824 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
May weather nearby: Pago Pago 125 km · Mata-Utu 480 km · Alofi 613 km · Nuku‘alofa 890 km · Labasa 995 km · Levuka 1,063 km · Nasinu 1,141 km · Funafuti 1,149 km

Samoa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 63% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,873
2025
Safe drinking water
63%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.3
per 100k, 2018
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 55%Roman Catholic 19%Church of Jesus Christ 17%other Christian 4%

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 Apia (-13.8333°, -171.7667°, 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. 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).