Greytown weather in May

In May, Greytown sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.7 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Greytown's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Greytown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:37 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
32%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Greytown is town in South Africa.

Founded
1854

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 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Greytown reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 27°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)
12411
22411
32411
42311
52311
62311
72310
82310
92310
102310
112310
122310
132310
142310
15239
16239
17239
18239
19239
20239
21239
22229
23228
24228
25228
26228
27228
28228
29227
30227
31217

Greytown weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 17°10616.613.65.4
Feb28° / 17°9113.8135.7
Mar27° / 16°7512.212.26.4
Apr24° / 13°447.811.37.5
May23° / 193.710.68.3
Jun20° / 132.510.28.2
Jul20° / 182.410.38.2
Aug22° / 224.3118.2
Sep25° / 11°336.111.87.8
Oct25° / 12°691212.76.5
Nov26° / 14°9415.213.55.7
Dec27° / 16°10717.113.85.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% 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 22%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27426
37426
47525
57525
67624
77624
87723
97723
107723
117723
127723
137723
147723
157822
167822
177723
187723
197723
207723
217822
227822
237921
247921
258020
268119
278119
288218
298218
308317
318416

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Greytown gets around 19 mm of rain over 3.7 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 12% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
218
318
417
517
616
715
815
914
1014
1113
1213
1312
1412
1512
1611
1711
1811
1911
2011
2110
2210
2310
2410
259
269
279
289
299
309
319

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
188111
290100
39280
49370
59460
69550
79550
89640
99730
109730
119820
129820
139910
149910
159910
169910
1710000
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:28 AM to 6:46 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:285:22
210.96:295:21
310.86:295:20
410.86:305:19
510.86:305:18
610.86:315:18
710.86:325:17
810.76:325:16
910.76:335:15
1010.76:345:14
1110.76:345:14
1210.66:355:13
1310.66:355:12
1410.66:365:12
1510.66:375:11
1610.66:375:10
1710.56:385:10
1810.56:395:09
1910.56:395:09
2010.56:405:08
2110.56:405:08
2210.46:415:07
2310.46:425:07
2410.46:425:06
2510.46:435:06
2610.46:435:06
2710.46:445:05
2810.36:445:05
2910.36:455:04
3010.36:465:04
3110.36:465:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.4 kWh/m² to a high of 5.9 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.79 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Greytown

In seasonPeak

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

Greytown'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 Greytown?

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
6.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Greytown in May

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

In May, Greytown sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Greytown 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 Greytown peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jul 10UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7High
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Greytown 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 Greytown is worst in July — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1399 µg/m³Jan 1222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar42Poor
Apr60Unhealthy
May91Unhealthy
Jun92Unhealthy
Jul100Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Greytown?

Greytown sits at 29.1°S, 30.6°E, 1,050 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Howick, 58 km away.

Topography around Greytown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Greytown has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 m around an average of 1,082 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 812 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m.

The land around Greytown is covered by trees (44%) and grassland (31%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
407 m
16 km
812 m
80 km
1,775 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Howick 58 km · Mooi River 60 km · Pietermaritzburg 64 km · Mpophomeni 69 km · Estcourt 71 km · KwaDukuza 74 km · Shakaskraal 74 km · Tongaat 76 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 Greytown (-29.0642°, 30.5928°, elevation 1,050 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).