Dundee weather in May

In May, Dundee sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 18 mm of rain across 3.2 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dundee's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
3.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:37 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
26%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Dundee is town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
1,737/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

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 23°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Dundee reaches about 22°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 26°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)
12310
22310
32310
42310
52310
6229
7229
8229
9229
10229
11229
12229
13229
14229
15228
16228
17228
18228
19228
20228
21228
22218
23218
24217
25217
26217
27217
28217
29217
30217
31217

Dundee weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°15117.613.65.4
Feb27° / 16°12814.7135.7
Mar26° / 14°10512.912.26.5
Apr24° / 12°527.611.37.6
May22° / 183.210.68.3
Jun20° / 111.810.28.2
Jul20° / 141.710.48.3
Aug22° / 223.7118.3
Sep25° / 10°356.111.87.8
Oct25° / 12°9212.712.76.5
Nov26° / 13°1251713.45.5
Dec27° / 15°15419.113.85.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% 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 17%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
28020
38020
48119
58218
68218
78218
88317
98317
108317
118317
128317
138317
148317
158317
168317
178218
188218
198218
208218
218218
228218
238416
248416
258416
268515
278515
288614
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dundee gets around 18 mm of rain over 3.2 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 16% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
215
315
414
514
614
713
813
913
1012
1112
1211
1311
1411
1510
1610
1710
189
199
209
218
228
238
247
257
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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2973
3982
4982
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 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min 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 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 6:46 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:285:24
210.96:295:24
310.96:295:23
410.96:305:22
510.86:315:21
610.86:315:20
710.86:325:20
810.86:325:19
910.86:335:18
1010.76:345:17
1110.76:345:17
1210.76:355:16
1310.76:355:15
1410.66:365:15
1510.66:375:14
1610.66:375:13
1710.66:385:13
1810.66:385:12
1910.56:395:12
2010.56:405:11
2110.56:405:11
2210.56:415:10
2310.56:415:10
2410.56:425:10
2510.46:425:09
2610.46:435:09
2710.46:445:08
2810.46:445:08
2910.46:455:08
3010.46:455:07
3110.46:465:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Dundee

In seasonPeak

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

Dundee'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 Dundee?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Dundee in May

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

In May, Dundee sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 8°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 3 days see rain.

UV index in Dundee 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 Dundee peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 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 15UV 14Jul 11UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Dundee 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 Dundee is worst in September — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 945 µg/m³Jan 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dundee?

Dundee sits at 28.2°S, 30.2°E, 1,260 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Glencoe, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Dundee

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 1,240 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 704 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,920 m.

The land around Dundee is covered by grassland (55%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
704 m
80 km
1,920 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Glencoe 9.0 km · Mondlo 52 km · Newcastle 54 km · Ladysmith 62 km · Vryheid 70 km · Volksrust 96 km · Estcourt 101 km · Greytown 106 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 Dundee (-28.1668°, 30.2337°, elevation 1,260 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).