Malmesbury weather in May

In May, Malmesbury sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 66 mm of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Malmesbury's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Malmesbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
8th warmest
Overnight low
10°
5th coldest
Rainfall
66 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:33 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
46%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Malmesbury is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,288/km²
people per km²
Founded
1745

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 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Malmesbury reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12311
22311
32311
42311
52311
62311
72310
82310
92310
102210
112210
122210
132210
142210
152210
162210
172210
182210
192110
20219
21219
22219
23219
24209
25209
26209
27209
28209
29198
30198
31198

Malmesbury weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 17°142.6146.2
Feb31° / 18°122.313.26.1
Mar29° / 16°152.712.37.1
Apr25° / 13°414.811.28.0
May22° / 10°667.310.37.2
Jun18° / 1079.99.86.2
Jul18° / 938.9106.2
Aug18° / 829.410.86.3
Sep20° / 527.611.86.9
Oct24° / 11°324.912.88.0
Nov26° / 14°294.713.77.9
Dec29° / 16°163.314.27.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36535
46535
56535
66634
76634
86634
96535
106535
116535
126535
136436
146535
156436
166337
176337
186337
196238
206040
216040
225941
235941
245842
255842
265842
275743
285743
295842
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Malmesbury gets around 66 mm of rain over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
120
220
320
420
519
619
719
819
919
1018
1118
1218
1318
1418
1518
1619
1719
1820
1921
2023
2124
2225
2327
2428
2530
2631
2732
2833
2934
3034
3135

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18812
28812
38812
48911
58911
68911
79010
89010
9919
10919
11928
12928
13928
14928
15937
16937
17937
18946
19946
20946
21946
22955
23955
24955
25955
26964
27964
28964
29964
30973
31973

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:22 AM to 7:43 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:226:03
210.77:226:02
310.67:236:01
410.67:246:00
510.67:255:59
610.57:265:58
710.57:265:57
810.57:275:56
910.57:285:55
1010.47:295:54
1110.47:295:53
1210.47:305:53
1310.37:315:52
1410.37:325:51
1510.37:325:50
1610.37:335:50
1710.27:345:49
1810.27:355:48
1910.27:355:47
2010.27:365:47
2110.27:375:46
2210.17:375:46
2310.17:385:45
2410.17:395:45
2510.17:405:44
2610.17:405:44
2710.07:415:43
2810.07:425:43
2910.07:425:42
3010.07:435:42
3110.07:435:41

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.54 kWh/m² to a high of 8.4 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Malmesbury

In seasonPeak

In May, Malmesbury sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Malmesbury's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Malmesbury?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Malmesbury in May

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

In May, Malmesbury sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 10°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Malmesbury in May

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 37 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in July near 14°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Cool
May15Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Malmesbury in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Malmesbury peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Malmesbury 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 Malmesbury is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Malmesbury?

Malmesbury sits at 33.5°S, 18.7°E, 136 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Atlantis, 25 km away.

Topography around Malmesbury

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Malmesbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 166 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,073 m.

The land around Malmesbury is covered by cropland (39%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (30%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
2,073 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Atlantis 25 km · Wellington 33 km · Moorreesburg 35 km · Paarl 38 km · Durbanville 42 km · Kraaifontein 43 km · Kuils River 54 km · Stellenbosch 54 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 Malmesbury (-33.4608°, 18.7271°, elevation 136 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. 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).