Matsulu weather in May

In May, Matsulu sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 13 mm of rain across 2.7 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-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 74% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Matsulu's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matsulu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
12°
4th coldest
Rainfall
13 mm
2.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:28 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
24%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

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 Matsulu reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°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)
12614
22614
32614
42614
52614
62514
72514
82513
92513
102513
112513
122513
132513
142513
152512
162512
172512
182512
192512
202512
212512
222512
232511
242511
252511
262411
272411
282411
292411
302411
312410

Matsulu weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 20°11814.313.45.1
Feb29° / 20°9912.312.95.2
Mar28° / 19°8011.412.26.0
Apr26° / 16°376.611.47.4
May25° / 12°132.710.88.7
Jun23° / 61.510.49.1
Jul23° / 71.310.69.0
Aug24° / 11°112.111.18.9
Sep26° / 14°213.811.88.0
Oct27° / 16°467.912.66.9
Nov27° / 18°8912.813.25.9
Dec28° / 19°11313.813.65.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% 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 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28119
38218
48317
58317
68416
78416
88515
98515
108614
118614
128614
138614
148614
158713
168713
178713
188614
198614
208614
218614
228614
238812
248812
258812
268911
278911
288911
298911
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Matsulu gets around 13 mm of rain over 2.7 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 9% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
314
414
513
613
712
812
912
1011
1111
1211
1310
1410
159
169
179
188
198
207
217
227
236
246
256
265
275
285
295
305
315

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 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14145141
24344130
34543110
44842100
5514090
6533980
7563770
8583570
9613360
10623260
11653050
12682840
13702640
14732430
15742330
16772120
17782020
18801910
19811810
20831610
21841510
22851410
23871300
24881200
25891100
26901000
2791900
2892800
2993700
3093700
3194600

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 30 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 6:20 AM to 6:36 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:205:23
211.06:215:23
311.06:215:22
411.06:225:21
511.06:225:20
610.96:235:20
710.96:235:19
810.96:245:18
910.96:245:18
1010.96:255:17
1110.86:255:16
1210.86:265:16
1310.86:265:15
1410.86:275:15
1510.86:285:14
1610.86:285:14
1710.76:295:13
1810.76:295:13
1910.76:305:12
2010.76:305:12
2110.76:315:11
2210.76:315:11
2310.66:325:10
2410.66:325:10
2510.66:335:10
2610.66:335:09
2710.66:345:09
2810.66:345:09
2910.66:355:09
3010.66:355:08
3110.56:365:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 4.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.0Bright
194.0Bright
204.0Moderate
214.0Moderate
224.0Moderate
234.0Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Matsulu

In seasonPeak

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

Matsulu's rainy season runs November–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 Matsulu?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Matsulu in May

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

In May, Matsulu sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Matsulu 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 Matsulu peaks around February 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeFeb 12UV 13Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Matsulu 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 Matsulu is worst in July — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1945 µg/m³Jan 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May39Poor
Jun39Poor
Jul45Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov22Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Matsulu?

Matsulu sits at 25.5°S, 31.4°E, 340 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tekwane, 22 km away.

Topography around Matsulu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matsulu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 399 m around an average of 362 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 953 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,939 m.

The land around Matsulu is covered by trees (25%), artificial surfaces (24%) and shrubs (23%) within 3 km, trees (36%), shrubs (30%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
399 m
16 km
953 m
80 km
1,939 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Tekwane 22 km · Schoemansdal 26 km · Driekoppies 28 km · Mbombela 39 km · White River 41 km · Barberton 42 km · Kamaqhekeza 53 km · Mkhuhlu 61 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 Matsulu (-25.523°, 31.3569°, elevation 340 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).