Alexandra weather in May

In May, Alexandra sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 14 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of May to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Alexandra's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alexandra's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:42 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
23%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Alexandra is township in Gauteng, South Africa.

Density
25,995/km²
people per km²
Founded
1912

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 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Alexandra reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12210
22210
32210
4229
5229
6229
7229
8229
9229
10229
11228
12228
13228
14218
15218
16218
17218
18217
19217
20217
21217
22217
23217
24217
25207
26206
27206
28206
29206
30206
31206

Alexandra weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°10715.113.55.9
Feb27° / 16°9712.412.96.2
Mar25° / 15°8011.112.26.9
Apr23° / 12°376.411.47.7
May21° / 142.610.78.4
Jun19° / 71.110.48.2
Jul19° / 20.610.58.3
Aug22° / 81.411.18.8
Sep25° / 11°192.811.88.6
Oct26° / 14°619.312.67.1
Nov26° / 15°8512.613.36.3
Dec26° / 16°11716.513.65.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% 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 13%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28416
38416
48515
58515
68614
78614
88713
98812
108812
118812
128812
138812
148812
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228713
238713
248812
258911
268911
278911
288911
298911
308911
319010

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Alexandra gets around 14 mm of rain over 2.6 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 8% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
213
312
412
511
611
711
810
910
1010
119
129
139
148
158
168
178
188
198
207
217
227
236
246
256
265
275
285
294
304
314

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
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 hours at the start of May to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:345:36
211.06:345:35
311.06:355:34
411.06:365:33
510.96:365:33
610.96:375:32
710.96:375:31
810.96:385:30
910.96:385:30
1010.86:395:29
1110.86:395:28
1210.86:405:28
1310.86:405:27
1410.86:415:27
1510.76:425:26
1610.76:425:26
1710.76:435:25
1810.76:435:25
1910.76:445:24
2010.76:445:24
2110.66:455:23
2210.66:455:23
2310.66:465:22
2410.66:465:22
2510.66:475:22
2610.66:475:21
2710.66:485:21
2810.56:485:21
2910.56:495:20
3010.56:495:20
3110.56:505:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.92 kWh/m² to a high of 6.78 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Alexandra

In seasonPeak

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

Alexandra's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Alexandra?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Alexandra for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Alexandra in May

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

In May, Alexandra sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

UV index in Alexandra in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alexandra peaks around January 1 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 1UV 14Jun 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Alexandra 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 Alexandra is worst in June — around 283 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 5.7× the cleanest month (January, 50 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyJun 19282 µg/m³Jan 1251 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan50Poor
Feb72Unhealthy
Mar119Unhealthy
Apr177Very unhealthy
May261Very unhealthy
Jun283Very unhealthy
Jul275Very unhealthy
Aug213Very unhealthy
Sep156Very unhealthy
Oct99Unhealthy
Nov70Unhealthy
Dec55Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Alexandra?

Alexandra sits at 26.1°S, 28.1°E, 1,542 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Edenvale, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Alexandra

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alexandra has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 1,566 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 457 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 890 m.

The land around Alexandra is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (52%), trees (24%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
457 m
80 km
890 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Edenvale 7.0 km · Randburg 10 km · Johannesburg 12 km · Midrand 15 km · Ivory Park 16 km · Germiston 16 km · Thembisa 18 km · Alberton 18 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%Muslim 2%

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 Alexandra (-26.1053°, 28.0988°, elevation 1,542 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).