Benoni weather in May

In May, Benoni sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 15 mm of rain across 2.5 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 21°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% 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 Benoni's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Benoni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
2.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:41 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
23%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Benoni is Town in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa.

Founded
1881

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 21°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Benoni reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°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 24°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)
1229
2229
3229
4219
5218
6218
7218
8218
9218
10218
11218
12217
13217
14217
15217
16217
17207
18207
19207
20206
21206
22206
23206
24206
25206
26206
27206
28205
29195
30195
31195

Benoni 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
Jan26° / 16°12715.913.55.9
Feb26° / 15°10213.112.96.2
Mar24° / 14°831212.26.9
Apr22° / 11°426.711.47.5
May21° / 152.510.78.2
Jun18° / 81.410.48.0
Jul18° / 30.710.58.1
Aug21° / 10211.18.6
Sep25° / 10°233.511.88.5
Oct25° / 13°7710.712.67.0
Nov25° / 14°9914.313.36.2
Dec26° / 15°13017.313.65.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% 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
28218
38416
48416
58416
68614
78614
88713
98713
108713
118713
128713
138713
148713
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228713
238713
248713
258713
268812
278911
288911
298911
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Benoni gets around 15 mm of rain over 2.5 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
214
313
412
512
611
711
810
910
109
119
128
138
148
157
167
177
187
196
206
216
226
235
245
255
265
274
284
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 (%)
1991
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
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 10 km/h in May.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 6:33 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:335:35
211.06:345:34
311.06:345:33
411.06:355:32
510.96:355:32
610.96:365:31
710.96:365:30
810.96:375:29
910.96:375:29
1010.86:385:28
1110.86:395:27
1210.86:395:27
1310.86:405:26
1410.86:405:26
1510.76:415:25
1610.76:415:25
1710.76:425:24
1810.76:425:24
1910.76:435:23
2010.76:445:23
2110.66:445:22
2210.66:455:22
2310.66:455:21
2410.66:465:21
2510.66:465:21
2610.66:475:20
2710.56:475:20
2810.56:485:20
2910.56:485:19
3010.56:495:19
3110.56:495:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.76 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.31 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
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Benoni

In seasonPeak

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

Benoni'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 Benoni?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Benoni in May

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

In May, Benoni sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

UV index in Benoni 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 Benoni peaks around December 23 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 highExtremeDec 23UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Benoni 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 Benoni is worst in June — around 259 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.0× the cleanest month (January, 43 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorJun 23259 µg/m³Jan 1344 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb63Unhealthy
Mar101Unhealthy
Apr158Very unhealthy
May232Very unhealthy
Jun259Very unhealthy
Jul259Very unhealthy
Aug200Very unhealthy
Sep144Unhealthy
Oct91Unhealthy
Nov65Unhealthy
Dec50Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Benoni?

Benoni sits at 26.2°S, 28.3°E, 1,641 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Boksburg, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Benoni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Benoni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 1,644 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 816 m.

The land around Benoni is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, grassland (41%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
259 m
80 km
816 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Boksburg 7.0 km · Brakpan 7.0 km · Springs 10 km · Etwatwa 15 km · Germiston 15 km · Edenvale 18 km · Alberton 22 km · Thembisa 23 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 Benoni (-26.1885°, 28.3208°, elevation 1,641 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).