De Aar weather in May

In May, De Aar sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is De Aar's 7th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see De Aar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
7:07 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
31%
7th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

De Aar is town in the Northern Cape, South Africa.

Density
378/km²
people per km²
Founded
1903

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 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in De Aar reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C cooler than April and about 4°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1228
2228
3228
4218
5218
6218
7218
8218
9218
10217
11217
12217
13217
14217
15207
16207
17207
18207
19206
20206
21206
22196
23196
24196
25195
26195
27185
28185
29185
30184
31184

How May really feels in De Aar

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.

De Aar 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
Jan31° / 17°567.213.85.0
Feb31° / 17°477.713.15.2
Mar28° / 15°48712.26.7
Apr24° / 11°31511.38.1
May20° / 193.110.57.8
Jun17° / 142.510.16.7
Jul17° / 102.110.26.8
Aug19° / 112.310.97.8
Sep23° / 142.111.88.6
Oct26° / 11°243.712.88.2
Nov28° / 13°334.613.67.2
Dec31° / 16°375.213.95.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% 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 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48119
58119
68020
78020
88020
98020
107921
117921
127921
137921
147921
157822
167723
177723
187723
197624
207624
217624
227723
237723
247723
257723
267723
277822
287822
297822
307921
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

De Aar 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 10% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
313
413
513
613
713
813
913
1013
1112
1212
1312
1411
1511
1611
1710
1810
199
209
218
228
237
247
256
266
276
286
296
306
316

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 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 6:56 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:565:46
210.86:575:45
310.86:585:44
410.76:585:43
510.76:595:42
610.77:005:41
710.77:005:41
810.67:015:40
910.67:025:39
1010.67:035:38
1110.67:035:37
1210.57:045:37
1310.57:055:36
1410.57:055:35
1510.57:065:35
1610.57:075:34
1710.47:075:33
1810.47:085:33
1910.47:095:32
2010.47:095:31
2110.47:105:31
2210.37:105:30
2310.37:115:30
2410.37:125:29
2510.37:125:29
2610.37:135:29
2710.27:145:28
2810.27:145:28
2910.27:155:27
3010.27:155:27
3110.27:165:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 8.54 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit De Aar?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for De Aar in May

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

In May, De Aar sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in De Aar 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 De Aar peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is De Aar?

De Aar sits at 30.6°S, 24.0°E, 1,247 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Middelburg, 133 km away.

Graaff ReinetBurgersdorpKimberleyCradockBeaufort WestAliwal NorthBloemfontein

Topography around De Aar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around De Aar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m around an average of 1,251 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 918 m.

The land around De Aar is covered by grassland (50%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (83%) within 16 km, and grassland (89%) within 80 km.

3 km
132 m
16 km
348 m
80 km
918 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Middelburg 133 km · Graaff Reinet 185 km · Burgersdorp 225 km · Kimberley 225 km · Cradock 227 km · Beaufort West 233 km · Aliwal North 258 km · Bloemfontein 272 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 De Aar (-30.6497°, 24.0123°, elevation 1,247 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).