Bothaville weather in May

In May, Bothaville sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 21°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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bothaville's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bothaville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:50 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
23%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Bothaville is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1889

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 24°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Bothaville reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 16°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1249
2249
3249
4248
5238
6238
7238
8238
9238
10237
11237
12237
13237
14237
15227
16227
17226
18226
19226
20226
21226
22226
23225
24215
25215
26215
27215
28215
29214
30214
31214

How May really feels in Bothaville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bothaville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 18°9412.713.54.8
Feb29° / 18°7311.3135.3
Mar28° / 16°6210.212.26.4
Apr25° / 11°446.611.47.8
May22° / 193.110.78.6
Jun19° / 121.510.38.2
Jul19° / 50.710.48.4
Aug22° / 141.9118.9
Sep26° / 10°142.811.88.4
Oct28° / 13°518.112.76.6
Nov29° / 15°699.413.45.6
Dec30° / 17°8912.813.74.8

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 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28515
38614
48614
58713
68713
78812
88812
98812
108812
118713
128713
138713
148713
158713
168713
178614
188515
198515
208515
218515
228515
238515
248515
258614
268713
278713
288713
298812
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bothaville gets around 19 mm of rain over 3.1 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 9% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
414
514
613
713
813
912
1012
1111
1210
1310
149
159
169
178
188
198
208
217
227
237
246
256
266
276
285
295
305
315

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
2982
3982
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
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, the calmest month.

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 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:42 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:425:40
210.96:425:39
310.96:435:38
410.96:435:37
510.96:445:37
610.96:445:36
710.86:455:35
810.86:465:34
910.86:465:34
1010.86:475:33
1110.86:475:32
1210.76:485:32
1310.76:485:31
1410.76:495:30
1510.76:505:30
1610.76:505:29
1710.66:515:29
1810.66:515:28
1910.66:525:28
2010.66:535:27
2110.66:535:27
2210.56:545:26
2310.56:545:26
2410.56:555:26
2510.56:555:25
2610.56:565:25
2710.56:565:24
2810.56:575:24
2910.46:575:24
3010.46:585:24
3110.46:595:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.78 kWh/m² to a high of 7.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.23 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.0Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Moderate
304.0Moderate
314.0Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bothaville

In seasonPeak

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

Bothaville's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Bothaville?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Bothaville in May

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

In May, Bothaville sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: light clothes and a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

light clothesa warm layer

UV index in Bothaville 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 Bothaville peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bothaville 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 Bothaville is worst in June — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2319 µg/m³Dec 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr13Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bothaville?

Bothaville sits at 27.4°S, 26.6°E, 1,276 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Viljoenskroon, 38 km away.

Topography around Bothaville

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bothaville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 1,275 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 405 m.

The land around Bothaville is covered by grassland (57%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, cropland (61%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and cropland (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
110 m
80 km
405 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Viljoenskroon 38 km · Allanridge 41 km · Leeudoringstad 41 km · Orkney 46 km · Kutloanong 51 km · Odendaalsrus 54 km · Wesselsbron 57 km · Klerksdorp 60 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 Bothaville (-27.3887°, 26.617°, elevation 1,276 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).