Makeni weather in May

In May, Makeni sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 179 mm of rain across 23 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 30°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Makeni's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Makeni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
11th coldest
Rainfall
179 mm
23 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:32 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
81%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Makeni is capital city of Northern Province in Sierra Leone.

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 33°C in the first days to 30°C by the end.

A typical May day in Makeni reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°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 34°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23325
33324
43324
53324
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123224
133224
143224
153224
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213124
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283024
293023
303023
313023

How May really feels in Makeni

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
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.

Makeni weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°7211.53.8
Feb35° / 23°61.411.72.9
Mar36° / 24°245.711.92.5
Apr34° / 25°5110.212.22.7
May32° / 24°1792312.42.8
Jun29° / 23°30628.212.52.9
Jul28° / 22°40529.512.53.2
Aug28° / 22°46929.912.33.3
Sep29° / 22°4132912.12.9
Oct30° / 22°29429.711.82.8
Nov31° / 22°10116.311.64.0
Dec32° / 22°133.111.54.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22476
32377
42377
52080
61981
71882
81783
91684
101684
111486
121486
131387
141387
151189
161090
171090
181090
19991
20991
21991
22892
23892
24892
25793
26793
27793
28793
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Makeni gets around 179 mm of rain over 23 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 74% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
252
354
456
558
660
762
864
966
1068
1170
1272
1373
1475
1576
1678
1779
1879
1980
2081
2182
2282
2383
2483
2584
2685
2785
2886
2986
3087
3188

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 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11116919
21106920
3196921
4196822
5087022
6077023
7076924
8067024
9057124
10057124
11047224
12047224
13047224
14037324
15037423
16037423
17027523
18027622
19027622
20017821
21017821
22017920
23018019
24008119
25008218
26008317
27008416
28008515
29008614
30008713
31008812

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 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 6:36 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:366:55
212.36:366:55
312.36:356:55
412.36:356:55
512.36:356:55
612.36:356:55
712.36:346:55
812.46:346:55
912.46:346:55
1012.46:336:56
1112.46:336:56
1212.46:336:56
1312.46:336:56
1412.46:336:56
1512.46:326:56
1612.46:326:57
1712.46:326:57
1812.46:326:57
1912.46:326:57
2012.46:326:57
2112.46:326:58
2212.46:326:58
2312.46:316:58
2412.46:316:58
2512.56:316:58
2612.56:316:59
2712.56:316:59
2812.56:316:59
2912.56:316:59
3012.56:317:00
3112.56:317:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Makeni

In seasonPeak

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

Makeni's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Makeni sees seasonal dust haze (February–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is May a good time to visit Makeni?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Makeni.

What to pack for Makeni in May

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

In May, Makeni sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Makeni in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Makeni peaks around August 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 20UV 13Dec 16UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Very high
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Makeni 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 Makeni is worst in April — around 237 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 22.1× the cleanest month (August, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateApr 13221 µg/m³Aug 1811 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan98Unhealthy
Feb103Unhealthy
Mar145Unhealthy
Apr237Very unhealthy
May43Poor
Jun20Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep12Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec55Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Makeni?

Makeni sits at 8.9°N, 12.0°W, 93 m above sea level, in Sierra Leone. The nearest listed city is Mile 91, 50 km away.

Mile 91LunsarNjalaPort LokoKabalaBoBumpeKoidu

Topography around Makeni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Makeni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 205 m around an average of 104 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 936 m.

The land around Makeni is covered by artificial surfaces (45%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
205 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
936 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Mile 91 50 km · Lunsar 58 km · Njala 73 km · Port Loko 83 km · Kabala 95 km · Bo 108 km · Bumpe 112 km · Koidu 121 km

Sierra Leone travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$846
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
11%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.2
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
33
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 77%Christian 23%

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 Makeni (8.886°, -12.0442°, elevation 93 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).