Honiara weather in May

In May, Honiara sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 228 mm of rain across 27.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Honiara's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Honiara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
228 mm
27.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:29 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
80%
6th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Honiara is capital of Solomon Islands, on the tropical island Guadalcanal.

Density
2,559/km²
people per km²

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 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Honiara reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°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)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

Honiara weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°36728.412.53.6
Feb27° / 24°34926.112.33.6
Mar27° / 24°36628.612.13.6
Apr27° / 24°30127.411.83.7
May27° / 24°22827.111.63.9
Jun26° / 24°17224.811.54.1
Jul26° / 23°20325.211.54.3
Aug26° / 23°18924.911.74.3
Sep26° / 23°20924.611.94.2
Oct26° / 23°27127.312.23.9
Nov27° / 23°28726.912.43.8
Dec27° / 24°33727.712.53.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32080
42080
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
202080
212080
222179
232179
242278
252278
262377
272476
282575
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Honiara gets around 228 mm of rain over 27.1 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 87% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
286
386
486
586
686
786
886
986
1086
1186
1286
1387
1487
1587
1688
1788
1888
1989
2089
2189
2289
2389
2489
2588
2688
2788
2888
2987
3087
3187

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 98% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11990
21990
31990
41990
51990
61990
71981
80991
90991
100991
110991
120991
130991
141981
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
201981
211981
221990
231990
241990
251990
262980
272980
282980
292980
302980
312980

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 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 6:27 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:276:08
211.76:276:07
311.76:276:07
411.66:286:07
511.66:286:06
611.66:286:06
711.66:286:06
811.66:286:05
911.66:286:05
1011.66:286:05
1111.66:286:05
1211.66:296:04
1311.66:296:04
1411.66:296:04
1511.66:296:04
1611.66:296:04
1711.66:306:03
1811.66:306:03
1911.66:306:03
2011.56:306:03
2111.56:306:03
2211.56:316:03
2311.56:316:03
2411.56:316:03
2511.56:316:03
2611.56:326:02
2711.56:326:02
2811.56:326:02
2911.56:326:02
3011.56:336:02
3111.56:336:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
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

Hazard calendar for Honiara

In seasonPeak

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

Honiara sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

Is May a good time to visit Honiara?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Honiara.

What to pack for Honiara in May

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

In May, Honiara sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Honiara 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 offshore is warmest in January at about 30°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°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Honiara 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 Honiara peaks around March 13 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeMar 13UV 17Jun 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Honiara?

Honiara sits at 9.4°S, 159.9°E, 49 m above sea level, in Solomon Islands. The nearest listed city is Tandai, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Honiara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Honiara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m around an average of 44 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,012 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,309 m.

The land around Honiara is covered by water (41%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and water (39%) within 16 km, and water (73%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
200 m
16 km
1,012 m
80 km
2,309 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Tandai 2.0 km · Kola'a 2.0 km · Nggosi 3.0 km · Vura 4.0 km · Panatina 6.0 km · Malango 11 km · Arawa 600 km · Kokopo 1,019 km

Solomon Islands travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 75% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,086
2025
Homicide rate
3.7
per 100k, 2008
Road deaths
16.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 73%Roman Catholic 20%other 4%other 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 Honiara (-9.4333°, 159.95°, elevation 49 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).