Mossel Bay weather in May

In May, Mossel Bay sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 40 mm of rain across 6.2 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mossel Bay's 10th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mossel Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
7th warmest
Overnight low
15°
5th coldest
Rainfall
40 mm
6.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:21 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
45%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Mossel Bay is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,871/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

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 19°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mossel Bay reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11916
21916
31916
41916
51916
61916
71916
81916
91916
101916
111916
121915
131915
141915
151915
161915
171915
181915
191915
201915
211915
221915
231915
241815
251815
261815
271815
281814
291814
301814
311814

Mossel Bay weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 19°377.5147.4
Feb22° / 20°306.713.37.4
Mar21° / 19°417.412.37.3
Apr20° / 17°436.711.26.9
May19° / 15°406.210.26.9
Jun17° / 14°376.99.86.4
Jul17° / 13°387.2106.1
Aug17° / 13°477.610.75.9
Sep17° / 14°336.511.86.1
Oct18° / 15°437.412.96.5
Nov19° / 17°527.713.86.7
Dec21° / 18°356.814.27.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26733
36733
46733
56733
66832
76832
86832
96832
106733
116733
126634
136634
146634
156535
166535
176436
186436
196436
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256634
266634
276634
286733
296832
306931
317030

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mossel Bay gets around 40 mm of rain over 6.2 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 20% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
321
421
521
620
719
819
918
1018
1117
1217
1316
1416
1516
1616
1717
1817
1918
2018
2119
2220
2320
2421
2522
2622
2723
2824
2924
3025
3125

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1265519
2265618
3265717
4265816
5265915
6266014
7266113
8266212
9266311
10276211
11276310
1228639
1328639
1429638
1531618
1632617
1734597
1836586
1938566
2041545
2143525
2246504
2349474
2451454
2555423
2657403
2760382
2862362
2965341
3067321
3169301

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:09 AM to 7:32 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:095:48
210.67:105:47
310.67:115:46
410.67:115:45
510.57:125:44
610.57:135:43
710.57:145:42
810.47:155:41
910.47:155:40
1010.47:165:39
1110.47:175:38
1210.37:185:38
1310.37:195:37
1410.37:195:36
1510.37:205:35
1610.27:215:34
1710.27:225:34
1810.27:225:33
1910.27:235:32
2010.17:245:32
2110.17:255:31
2210.17:255:30
2310.17:265:30
2410.07:275:29
2510.07:285:29
2610.07:285:28
2710.07:295:28
2810.07:305:27
299.97:305:27
309.97:315:26
319.97:325:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.6 kWh/m² to a high of 7.58 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Mossel Bay?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Mossel Bay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mossel Bay in May

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

In May, Mossel Bay sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 15°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Mossel Bay in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 21 km away) is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 15 to Mar 18 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mossel Bay?

Mossel Bay sits at 34.2°S, 22.1°E, 43 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Groot-Brakrivier, 17 km away.

Swellendam

Topography around Mossel Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mossel Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,504 m.

The land around Mossel Bay is covered by water (70%) within 3 km, water (69%) within 16 km, and water (35%), shrubs (27%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
175 m
16 km
336 m
80 km
1,504 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Groot-Brakrivier 17 km · George 38 km · Oudtshoorn 65 km · Dysselsdorp 73 km · Riversdale 82 km · Knysna 85 km · Plettenberg Bay 114 km · Swellendam 158 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 Mossel Bay (-34.1831°, 22.146°, elevation 43 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).