Mpophomeni weather in May

In May, Mpophomeni sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 30 mm of rain across 5.4 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mpophomeni's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpophomeni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
30 mm
5.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:40 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
33%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Mpophomeni is human settlement in South Africa.

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 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Mpophomeni reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12210
22210
32210
42210
52210
62210
72210
82210
9229
10229
11229
12229
13229
14229
15229
16229
17229
18228
19218
20218
21218
22218
23218
24218
25218
26217
27217
28217
29217
30207
31207

Mpophomeni weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°15718.613.75.3
Feb26° / 16°13215.813.15.6
Mar25° / 15°11015.212.26.1
Apr23° / 12°6610.111.37.0
May21° / 305.410.57.7
Jun20° / 233.910.17.7
Jul20° / 29410.37.8
Aug21° / 366.510.97.5
Sep23° / 10°549.611.87.0
Oct23° / 12°10116.212.75.9
Nov24° / 13°12618.313.55.4
Dec25° / 15°14920.513.95.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% 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 25%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
37030
47228
57228
67228
77327
87327
97426
107426
117426
127525
137525
147525
157525
167525
177525
187624
197525
207525
217624
227624
237624
247822
257822
267822
277921
287921
298020
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mpophomeni gets around 30 mm of rain over 5.4 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 18% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
224
324
423
522
622
721
821
920
1020
1119
1219
1318
1417
1517
1616
1716
1816
1916
2015
2115
2215
2315
2415
2515
2615
2715
2815
2915
3015
3115

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 (%)Humid (%)
185141
287130
389110
490100
59190
69370
79460
89460
99550
109640
119730
129730
139820
149820
159910
169910
179910
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

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 7 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
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 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 6:30 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:305:23
210.86:315:22
310.86:315:21
410.86:325:20
510.86:335:19
610.76:335:18
710.76:345:18
810.76:355:17
910.76:355:16
1010.76:365:15
1110.66:375:15
1210.66:375:14
1310.66:385:13
1410.66:395:12
1510.56:395:12
1610.56:405:11
1710.56:405:11
1810.56:415:10
1910.56:425:09
2010.46:425:09
2110.46:435:08
2210.46:445:08
2310.46:445:07
2410.46:455:07
2510.46:455:07
2610.36:465:06
2710.36:475:06
2810.36:475:05
2910.36:485:05
3010.36:485:05
3110.36:495:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mpophomeni

In seasonPeak

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

Mpophomeni'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 Mpophomeni?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mpophomeni in May

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

In May, Mpophomeni sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 9°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

UV index in Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7High
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni is worst in July — around 71 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.3× the cleanest month (December, 17 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1769 µg/m³Dec 2317 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr37Poor
May51Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul71Unhealthy
Aug58Unhealthy
Sep49Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpophomeni?

Mpophomeni sits at 29.6°S, 30.2°E, 1,103 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Howick, 11 km away.

Topography around Mpophomeni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpophomeni has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 356 m around an average of 1,154 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,101 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,371 m.

The land around Mpophomeni is covered by grassland (70%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
356 m
16 km
1,101 m
80 km
3,371 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Howick 11 km · Pietermaritzburg 21 km · Richmond 35 km · Mooi River 44 km · Mpumalanga 51 km · Greytown 69 km · Estcourt 69 km · Wembesi 70 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 Mpophomeni (-29.5682°, 30.1862°, elevation 1,103 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).