Mbombela weather in May

In May, Mbombela sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.5 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 24°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 Mbombela's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbombela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
9th warmest
Overnight low
11°
4th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:30 AM – 5:15 PM
Cloud cover
24%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Mbombela is city in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Density
1,517/km²
people per km²
Founded
1905

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mbombela reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12413
22412
32412
42412
52412
62412
72412
82412
92411
102411
112411
122411
132411
142411
152411
162411
172410
182310
192310
202310
212310
222310
232310
24239
25239
26239
27239
28239
29239
30239
31239

Mbombela 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
Jan27° / 18°15517.513.45.3
Feb27° / 18°13414.812.95.6
Mar27° / 17°1071412.26.2
Apr25° / 14°538.411.47.4
May24° / 11°193.510.88.7
Jun22° / 92.310.48.6
Jul21° / 122.610.68.4
Aug23° / 173.811.18.5
Sep25° / 12°346.611.87.8
Oct25° / 14°7113.312.66.4
Nov26° / 16°12216.313.25.5
Dec27° / 17°15218.413.65.2

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
58416
68416
78416
88614
98614
108614
118614
128713
138614
148614
158614
168614
178614
188614
198614
208614
218713
228713
238713
248713
258812
268812
278812
288812
298812
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mbombela gets around 19 mm of rain over 3.5 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
317
417
516
615
715
814
914
1014
1113
1213
1313
1412
1512
1612
1711
1811
1911
2011
2110
2210
2310
249
259
269
278
288
298
308
318

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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
149429
251418
354397
457376
559365
662344
764324
867303
969283
1071263
1175232
1277212
1379192
1481172
1583161
1685141
1786131
1887121
1988111
2090100
219190
229190
239280
249370
259460
269550
279550
289640
299640
309730
319730

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
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 6:22 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:225:25
211.06:225:24
311.06:235:23
411.06:235:23
511.06:245:22
611.06:245:21
710.96:255:21
810.96:255:20
910.96:265:19
1010.96:265:19
1110.96:275:18
1210.86:275:17
1310.86:285:17
1410.86:285:16
1510.86:295:16
1610.86:305:15
1710.76:305:15
1810.76:315:14
1910.76:315:14
2010.76:325:13
2110.76:325:13
2210.76:335:12
2310.66:335:12
2410.66:345:12
2510.66:345:11
2610.66:355:11
2710.66:355:11
2810.66:365:10
2910.66:365:10
3010.66:375:10
3110.56:375:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 4.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Bright
254.0Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mbombela

In seasonPeak

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

Mbombela'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 Mbombela?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mbombela in May

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

In May, Mbombela sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Mbombela 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 Mbombela peaks around December 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 highExtremeDec 22UV 13Jun 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mbombela 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 Mbombela is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1850 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun37Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug43Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbombela?

Mbombela sits at 25.5°S, 31.0°E, 658 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is White River, 16 km away.

Topography around Mbombela

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbombela has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 709 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 895 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,053 m.

The land around Mbombela is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (45%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
895 m
80 km
2,053 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: White River 16 km · Tekwane 18 km · Barberton 36 km · Matsulu 39 km · Sabie 46 km · Schoemansdal 60 km · Mkhuhlu 61 km · Hlanganani 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 Mbombela (-25.4751°, 30.9693°, elevation 658 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).