Khowa weather in May

In May, Khowa sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 22 mm of precipitation across 4.3 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Khowa's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Khowa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
22 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
6:52 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
35%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Khowa is human settlement in South Africa.

Founded
1885

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 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Khowa reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1186
2185
3185
4185
5185
6185
7185
8185
9185
10185
11185
12185
13185
14185
15185
16184
17184
18174
19174
20174
21174
22174
23174
24174
25173
26163
27163
28163
29163
30163
31163

How May really feels in Khowa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 4 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
4
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Khowa 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°17320013.85.6
Feb24° / 13°15417.5013.15.6
Mar22° / 11°12416.1012.26.0
Apr20° / 669.80.211.36.5
May17° / 224.30.410.46.8
Jun15° / 193.20.8105.6
Jul15° / 1931.210.25.6
Aug17° / 294.6110.96.5
Sep20° / 406.50.511.87.1
Oct21° / 8913.40.212.86.2
Nov22° / 12516.10.213.65.8
Dec23° / 11°15918.40145.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 24%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37426
47426
57426
67426
77426
87525
97624
107624
117624
127624
137624
147624
157624
167624
177426
187426
197426
207426
217426
227624
237624
247624
257723
267822
277822
287822
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Khowa gets around 22 mm of rain and snow over 4.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 14% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1201
2191
3191
4181
5181
6171
7171
8171
9161
10161
11151
12151
13151
14141
15141
16141
17131
18131
19131
20131
21121
22122
23122
24122
25112
26112
27112
28112
29112
30112
31112

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 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 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
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of May to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:42 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:425:30
210.86:435:29
310.76:435:28
410.76:445:27
510.76:455:26
610.76:465:25
710.66:465:24
810.66:475:23
910.66:485:22
1010.66:485:22
1110.56:495:21
1210.56:505:20
1310.56:505:19
1410.56:515:19
1510.46:525:18
1610.46:525:17
1710.46:535:17
1810.46:545:16
1910.36:555:15
2010.36:555:15
2110.36:565:14
2210.36:565:14
2310.36:575:13
2410.26:585:13
2510.26:585:12
2610.26:595:12
2710.27:005:11
2810.27:005:11
2910.27:015:11
3010.17:015:10
3110.17:025:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Khowa

In seasonPeak

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

Khowa'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 Khowa?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Khowa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Khowa in May

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

In May, Khowa sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Khowa 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 Khowa peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Khowa 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 Khowa is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.9× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 923 µg/m³Dec 225 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May10Good
Jun12Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Khowa?

Khowa sits at 31.3°S, 27.9°E, 1,451 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Cala, 26 km away.

Topography around Khowa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Khowa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 173 m around an average of 1,477 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,285 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,499 m.

The land around Khowa is covered by grassland (71%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
173 m
16 km
1,285 m
80 km
2,499 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Cala 26 km · Ugie 39 km · Lady Frere 72 km · Mthatha 93 km · Tlokoeng 95 km · Queensdale 102 km · Quthing 105 km · Queenstown 112 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 Khowa (-31.3331°, 27.85°, elevation 1,451 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).