Butterworth weather in May

In May, Butterworth sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 24 mm of rain across 4.5 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Butterworth's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butterworth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
7th warmest
Overnight low
11°
5th coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
4.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
6:53 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
40%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Butterworth is town.

Founded
1827

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 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Butterworth reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12312
22312
32312
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102311
112311
122311
132311
142311
152311
162311
172311
182311
192311
202311
212311
222311
232311
242310
252310
262310
272210
282210
292210
302210
312210

Butterworth weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°12115.613.95.7
Feb26° / 17°10414.313.25.7
Mar25° / 16°1021412.26.2
Apr24° / 13°769.311.27.1
May23° / 11°244.510.48.1
Jun21° / 233.29.98.1
Jul21° / 233.310.18.1
Aug22° / 335.610.87.7
Sep23° / 10°577.811.87.2
Oct23° / 12°9413.212.86.3
Nov23° / 13°1111413.76.0
Dec25° / 15°11416.314.15.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26733
36832
46832
56931
66931
77030
87030
97030
107030
117030
127129
137129
147129
157129
167030
177030
187030
197129
207129
217129
227327
237327
247327
257525
267525
277624
287624
297723
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Butterworth gets around 24 mm of rain over 4.5 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 15% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
220
320
419
519
619
719
818
918
1018
1117
1217
1316
1416
1515
1615
1714
1813
1913
2012
2112
2211
2311
2410
2510
2610
2710
2810
2910
3010
3110

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
177212
278202
380191
481181
583161
684151
786140
887130
988120
1089110
1190100
1290100
139190
149280
159370
169370
179460
189460
199550
209550
219640
229640
239730
249730
259730
269820
279820
289820
299910
309910
319910

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 10 h 06 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 7:03 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:425:27
210.76:435:26
310.76:445:25
410.76:445:24
510.66:455:23
610.66:465:22
710.66:475:21
810.56:475:20
910.56:485:19
1010.56:495:19
1110.56:505:18
1210.46:505:17
1310.46:515:16
1410.46:525:16
1510.46:525:15
1610.36:535:14
1710.36:545:13
1810.36:555:13
1910.36:555:12
2010.36:565:12
2110.26:575:11
2210.26:575:10
2310.26:585:10
2410.26:595:09
2510.26:595:09
2610.17:005:08
2710.17:015:08
2810.17:015:08
2910.17:025:07
3010.17:035:07
3110.17:035:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.01 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Butterworth

In seasonPeak

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

Butterworth's rainy season runs September–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 Butterworth?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Butterworth for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Butterworth in May

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

In May, Butterworth sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Butterworth in May

The nearest coast averages about 24°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 39 km away) is warmest in February at about 25°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in Butterworth in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Butterworth peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Butterworth 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 Butterworth is worst in August — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1523 µg/m³Jan 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Butterworth?

Butterworth sits at 32.3°S, 28.1°E, 545 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Gonubie, 69 km away.

Topography around Butterworth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Butterworth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m around an average of 584 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,672 m.

The land around Butterworth is covered by grassland (41%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
218 m
16 km
688 m
80 km
1,672 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Gonubie 69 km · Stutterheim 73 km · Mdantsane 76 km · East London 79 km · Bhisho 88 km · Ndevana 88 km · Qonce 94 km · Cala 99 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 Butterworth (-32.3308°, 28.1498°, elevation 545 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. 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. 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).