eSikhaleni weather in May

In May, eSikhaleni sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 56 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is eSikhaleni's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see eSikhaleni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
18°
5th coldest
Rainfall
56 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:32 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
29%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

eSikhaleni is township.

Density
8,350/km²
people per km²
Founded
1976

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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in eSikhaleni reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°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)
12619
22619
32619
42619
52619
62619
72619
82619
92519
102519
112518
122518
132518
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282417
292417
302417
312417

eSikhaleni weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°10813.513.65.3
Feb29° / 23°9511.9135.3
Mar28° / 22°9712.312.25.9
Apr27° / 20°7910.411.36.8
May25° / 18°567.610.67.8
Jun24° / 16°396.610.28.2
Jul23° / 15°476.910.38.0
Aug24° / 16°397118.0
Sep25° / 18°548.211.87.4
Oct25° / 19°8012.212.76.5
Nov26° / 20°9313.213.46.0
Dec28° / 22°8611.713.85.9

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37921
47921
58020
68119
78119
88119
98119
108218
118317
128218
138218
148218
158218
168218
178218
188119
198119
208119
218119
228119
238218
248317
258317
268317
278416
288416
298416
308515
318416

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

eSikhaleni gets around 56 mm of rain over 7.6 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 25% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
329
429
529
628
728
827
927
1027
1126
1226
1325
1425
1525
1624
1724
1824
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2824
2924
3024
3125

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14184730
24194929
34195027
44195126
54205224
64215223
74215322
84225321
94225519
105235418
115245417
125245516
135255614
145265613
156265612
166275710
17728569
18829558
19930547
201032526
211133515
221334495
231435474
241636453
251737433
261938412
272139392
282339362
292540341
302740321
312941291

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 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 6:22 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 4:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:225:17
210.96:235:16
310.96:245:15
410.86:245:14
510.86:255:13
610.86:265:13
710.86:265:12
810.76:275:11
910.76:275:10
1010.76:285:10
1110.76:295:09
1210.66:295:08
1310.66:305:07
1410.66:305:07
1510.66:315:06
1610.66:325:06
1710.56:325:05
1810.56:335:04
1910.56:345:04
2010.56:345:03
2110.56:355:03
2210.46:355:02
2310.46:365:02
2410.46:375:01
2510.46:375:01
2610.46:385:01
2710.46:385:00
2810.46:395:00
2910.36:395:00
3010.36:404:59
3110.36:404:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for eSikhaleni

In seasonPeak

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

eSikhaleni sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit eSikhaleni?

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
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for eSikhaleni in May

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

In May, eSikhaleni sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 8 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near eSikhaleni 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 offshore is warmest in February at about 26°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°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in eSikhaleni 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 eSikhaleni peaks around February 10 at about 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highVery highExtremeFeb 10UV 12Jun 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in eSikhaleni 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 eSikhaleni is worst in July — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1424 µg/m³Jan 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr18Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is eSikhaleni?

eSikhaleni sits at 28.9°S, 31.9°E, 15 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empangeni, 12 km away.

Topography around eSikhaleni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around eSikhaleni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 388 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,322 m.

The land around eSikhaleni is covered by trees (60%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (34%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and water (32%), trees (30%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
124 m
16 km
388 m
80 km
1,322 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Empangeni 12 km · Richards Bay 17 km · Eshowe 42 km · Mandeni 56 km · Mtubatuba 58 km · Ulundi 76 km · KwaDukuza 78 km · Shakaskraal 92 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 eSikhaleni (-28.871°, 31.8996°, elevation 15 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).