Thuwal weather in May

In May, Thuwal sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 35°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Thuwal's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Thuwal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
6th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:48 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
13%
4th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Thuwal is human settlement in Saudi Arabia.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 35°C by the end.

A typical May day in Thuwal reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23325
33325
43325
53425
63425
73426
83426
93426
103426
113426
123426
133426
143426
153426
163426
173426
183426
193426
203526
213526
223526
233526
243526
253526
263527
273527
283527
293527
303527
313527

How May really feels in Thuwal

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
6 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Thuwal weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°162.210.88.3
Feb28° / 21°20.611.28.4
Mar29° / 22°30.611.87.2
Apr32° / 24°30.512.55.6
May34° / 26°10.213.14.0
Jun35° / 27°0013.33.3
Jul36° / 29°0013.22.6
Aug36° / 30°0012.82.6
Sep36° / 28°0012.13.0
Oct34° / 27°20.511.53.8
Nov31° / 24°292.210.95.6
Dec29° / 22°122.210.77.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 7%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3946
4946
5937
6937
7937
8937
9937
10937
11937
12937
13937
14937
15928
16928
17928
18928
19928
20937
21937
22937
23937
24937
25937
26946
27955
28955
29955
30964
31964

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Thuwal gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

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 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 92% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
131342402
231341412
321241422
421241432
521141432
621141443
711141443
811041453
911040453
1011040463
111940473
121939484
131839494
141838504
151737514
161737514
171636534
181635544
191534555
201534555
211433575
221432576
231430596
241329607
251328617
261327618
271326628
281224649
291223659
3012226510
3112206611

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 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
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:566:45
212.85:566:46
312.85:556:46
412.95:546:46
512.95:546:47
612.95:536:47
712.95:536:48
812.95:526:48
913.05:516:49
1013.05:516:49
1113.05:506:49
1213.05:506:50
1313.05:496:50
1413.05:496:51
1513.05:486:51
1613.15:486:52
1713.15:476:52
1813.15:476:53
1913.15:476:53
2013.15:466:54
2113.15:466:54
2213.15:466:54
2313.25:456:55
2413.25:456:55
2513.25:456:56
2613.25:446:56
2713.25:446:57
2813.25:446:57
2913.25:446:58
3013.25:446:58
3113.35:436:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.51 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.51 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Thuwal

In seasonPeak

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

Thuwal sees seasonal dust haze (April–September), heaviest in June.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Thuwal?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Thuwal for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Thuwal in May

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

In May, Thuwal sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Thuwal 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 31°C and coldest in February near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug31Tropical
Sep31Tropical
Oct31Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Thuwal in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Thuwal peaks around June 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 13UV 11Dec 16UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr10Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Thuwal 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 Thuwal is worst in March — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateMar 2339 µg/m³Nov 925 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar40Poor
Apr39Poor
May32Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Thuwal?

Thuwal sits at 22.3°N, 39.1°E, 6 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Khulayş, 26 km away.

MeccaBadr ḨunaynTa'ifAsh Shafā

Topography around Thuwal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Thuwal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 104 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,568 m.

The land around Thuwal is covered by bare terrain (59%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, bare terrain (60%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (66%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
19 m
16 km
104 m
80 km
1,568 m
artificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Khulayş 26 km · Rābigh 58 km · Jeddah 88 km · Al Jumūm 95 km · Mecca 120 km · Badr Ḩunayn 170 km · Ta'if 175 km · Ash Shafā 183 km

Saudi Arabia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$34,537
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
35.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 404

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 Thuwal (22.2827°, 39.1125°, elevation 6 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. 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).