Kolda weather in May

In May, Kolda sees average daytime highs of 39°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 39°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kolda's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolda's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
25°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
6:38 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
37%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Kolda is city and regional capital in Senegal.

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 39°C through the month.

A typical May day in Kolda reaches about 39°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 3°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14025
24025
34025
44025
54025
64025
74025
84025
94025
104025
113925
123925
133925
143925
153925
163925
173925
183925
193925
203925
213925
223926
233926
243926
253926
263926
273926
283826
293826
303826
313826

How May really feels in Kolda

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
31 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.

Kolda weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°00.111.33.8
Feb37° / 21°10.111.62.2
Mar39° / 23°0011.90.8
Apr40° / 24°0012.30.2
May39° / 25°30.712.60.5
Jun36° / 26°447.512.71.8
Jul32° / 25°20421.112.72.8
Aug31° / 24°29326.312.42.8
Sep31° / 24°21122.612.12.9
Oct33° / 24°6410.411.73.5
Nov34° / 21°5111.43.6
Dec34° / 19°10.211.34.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27921
37921
47921
57921
67921
78020
88020
98020
107921
117822
127822
137723
147624
157624
167426
177327
187228
197228
207030
217030
226931
236832
246733
256634
266535
276436
286436
296238
306238
316040

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kolda gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.7 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 3% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
152
162
172
182
192
202
213
223
234
244
255
265
276
287
298
309
3110

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 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 43% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11529381700
21429391800
31328401910
41228402010
51127402110
61026402210
7925412410
8824412520
9723412720
10721422830
11620423030
12518423140
13417423340
14416413450
15315413560
16314403660
17213403770
18213393880
19212383990
201113740100
211103641110
221103542120
23193342140
24193243150
25183043170
26182944190
27172744201
28162644221
29162544241
30152343271
31142243291

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of May to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 6:36 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:437:11
212.56:437:11
312.56:437:11
412.56:427:11
512.56:427:11
612.56:417:11
712.56:417:12
812.56:417:12
912.56:407:12
1012.56:407:12
1112.56:407:13
1212.66:397:13
1312.66:397:13
1412.66:397:13
1512.66:387:14
1612.66:387:14
1712.66:387:14
1812.66:387:14
1912.66:387:15
2012.66:377:15
2112.66:377:15
2212.66:377:15
2312.66:377:16
2412.76:377:16
2512.76:377:16
2612.76:377:17
2712.76:367:17
2812.76:367:17
2912.76:367:17
3012.76:367:18
3112.76:367:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.32 kWh/m² to a high of 7.17 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 7.01 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.0Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
236.9Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kolda

In seasonPeak

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

Kolda's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Kolda sees seasonal dust haze (February–July), heaviest in June.

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

Is May a good time to visit Kolda?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kolda.

What to pack for Kolda in May

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

In May, Kolda sees daytime highs around 39°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kolda 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 Kolda peaks around August 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 18UV 13Dec 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Kolda 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 Kolda is worst in February — around 99 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.8× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorFeb 1897 µg/m³Aug 2018 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan63Unhealthy
Feb99Unhealthy
Mar83Unhealthy
Apr57Unhealthy
May50Poor
Jun46Poor
Jul25Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct36Poor
Nov42Poor
Dec55Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kolda?

Kolda sits at 12.9°N, 14.9°W, 17 m above sea level, in Senegal. The nearest listed city is Sédhiou, 70 km away.

SédhiouDiaoubéBafatáSomaVélingaraFaratoFarafenniGabú

Topography around Kolda

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolda has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 m.

The land around Kolda is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), trees (20%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and shrubs (32%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
58 m
80 km
85 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Sédhiou 70 km · Diaoubé 84 km · Bafatá 86 km · Soma 88 km · Vélingara 94 km · Farato 97 km · Farafenni 103 km · Gabú 104 km

Senegal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / E / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 36% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,955
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
27%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
23.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 442
Religion
Muslim 97%Christian 3%

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 Kolda (12.8939°, -14.9413°, elevation 17 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).