Modimolle weather in May

In May, Modimolle sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 14 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Modimolle's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Modimolle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
10th warmest
Overnight low
10°
4th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:39 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
19%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
out of 10

Modimolle is town.

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 24°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Modimolle reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 27°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)
12512
22512
32512
42412
52412
62411
72411
82411
92411
102411
112411
122411
132410
142410
152310
162310
172310
182310
192310
20239
21239
22239
23239
24239
25239
26239
27229
28228
29228
30228
31228

Modimolle weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 19°11713.513.45.4
Feb29° / 19°879.712.95.8
Mar27° / 17°869.812.26.7
Apr25° / 14°435.911.47.8
May23° / 10°142.610.88.9
Jun21° / 50.910.58.8
Jul21° / 30.610.68.8
Aug24° / 10°41.311.19.2
Sep28° / 14°142.711.87.9
Oct29° / 16°57912.66.1
Nov28° / 17°10513.313.25.5
Dec28° / 18°13515.713.55.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 10%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28713
38713
48812
58812
68812
78911
88911
99010
10919
11919
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17919
18919
199010
209010
219010
22919
23928
24928
25928
26937
27937
28937
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Modimolle gets around 14 mm of rain over 2.6 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 8% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
212
312
411
511
611
710
810
910
109
119
129
138
148
158
168
177
187
197
207
217
227
236
246
256
266
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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
19010
2919
3928
4928
5937
6946
7946
8955
9955
10964
11973
12973
13973
14982
15982
16982
17982
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:46 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:315:36
211.16:315:36
311.06:325:35
411.06:325:34
511.06:335:33
611.06:335:33
711.06:345:32
810.96:345:31
910.96:355:31
1010.96:355:30
1110.96:365:29
1210.96:365:29
1310.96:375:28
1410.86:375:28
1510.86:385:27
1610.86:395:27
1710.86:395:26
1810.86:405:26
1910.86:405:25
2010.76:415:25
2110.76:415:25
2210.76:425:24
2310.76:425:24
2410.76:435:23
2510.76:435:23
2610.76:445:23
2710.66:445:23
2810.66:455:22
2910.66:455:22
3010.66:465:22
3110.66:465:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Modimolle

In seasonPeak

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

Modimolle'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 Modimolle?

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

8.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Modimolle in May

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

In May, Modimolle sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Modimolle 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 Modimolle peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 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 13UV 14Jun 16UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Modimolle 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 Modimolle is worst in July — around 79 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.7× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1179 µg/m³Jan 1114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar29Moderate
Apr47Poor
May71Unhealthy
Jun77Unhealthy
Jul79Unhealthy
Aug69Unhealthy
Sep57Unhealthy
Oct31Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Modimolle?

Modimolle sits at 24.7°S, 28.4°E, 1,177 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Bela Bela, 24 km away.

Topography around Modimolle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Modimolle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m around an average of 1,182 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 514 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 m.

The land around Modimolle is covered by shrubs (32%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, shrubs (52%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and shrubs (53%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
92 m
16 km
514 m
80 km
1,099 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Bela Bela 24 km · Mookgophong 38 km · Vaalwater 53 km · Vaalbank 68 km · Siyabuswa 80 km · Hammanskraal 80 km · Mokopane 83 km · Somaroboro 84 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 Modimolle (-24.7°, 28.4°, elevation 1,177 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).