Heilbron weather in May

In May, Heilbron sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of May to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Heilbron's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Heilbron's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:45 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
24%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Heilbron is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1872

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 22°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Heilbron reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°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 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1229
2229
3228
4228
5228
6228
7228
8228
9217
10217
11217
12217
13217
14217
15217
16217
17216
18216
19206
20206
21206
22206
23206
24205
25205
26205
27205
28195
29195
30194
31194

How May really feels in Heilbron

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.

Heilbron weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°1241513.55.9
Feb27° / 16°8712.6136.2
Mar25° / 14°8111.112.26.9
Apr23° / 11°436.911.47.7
May21° / 193.110.78.1
Jun18° / 101.710.37.8
Jul18° / 61.110.57.9
Aug21° / 152.4118.4
Sep25° / 10°203.211.88.6
Oct26° / 13°769.812.77.1
Nov26° / 14°9812.513.36.4
Dec27° / 15°13916.613.75.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% 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 15%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98614
108614
118515
128515
138515
148515
158416
168416
178416
188416
198317
208317
218416
228416
238515
248515
258614
268614
278713
288713
298713
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Heilbron 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 17% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
216
315
414
514
613
713
812
912
1011
1111
1210
1310
1410
159
169
179
189
199
209
218
228
238
247
257
267
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 10 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:365:35
211.06:375:34
310.96:375:33
410.96:385:32
510.96:385:31
610.96:395:31
710.86:395:30
810.86:405:29
910.86:415:28
1010.86:415:28
1110.86:425:27
1210.76:425:26
1310.76:435:26
1410.76:435:25
1510.76:445:25
1610.76:455:24
1710.66:455:24
1810.66:465:23
1910.66:465:23
2010.66:475:22
2110.66:475:22
2210.66:485:21
2310.56:495:21
2410.56:495:20
2510.56:505:20
2610.56:505:20
2710.56:515:19
2810.56:515:19
2910.46:525:19
3010.46:525:18
3110.46:535:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.82 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.23 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Bright
314.0Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Heilbron

In seasonPeak

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

Heilbron'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 Heilbron?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Heilbron in May

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

In May, Heilbron sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Heilbron 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 Heilbron peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Heilbron 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 Heilbron is worst in July — around 103 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11103 µg/m³Jan 1124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar48Poor
Apr64Unhealthy
May88Unhealthy
Jun100Unhealthy
Jul103Unhealthy
Aug83Unhealthy
Sep65Unhealthy
Oct44Poor
Nov31Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Heilbron?

Heilbron sits at 27.3°S, 28.0°E, 1,539 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Koppies, 39 km away.

Topography around Heilbron

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Heilbron has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 1,555 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 268 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 455 m.

The land around Heilbron is covered by grassland (56%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and cropland (47%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and cropland (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
268 m
80 km
455 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Koppies 39 km · Deneysville 45 km · Mamafubedu 46 km · Frankfort 52 km · Sasolburg 54 km · Vanderbijlpark 65 km · Parys 66 km · Vredefort 67 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 Heilbron (-27.2812°, 27.9709°, elevation 1,539 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).