Mpumalanga weather in May

In May, Mpumalanga sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 33 mm of rain across 5 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 10th-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 62% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mpumalanga's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpumalanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
33 mm
5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:38 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
33%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Mpumalanga is township in KwaZulu-Natal, 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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mpumalanga reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°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)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62514
72514
82514
92514
102514
112514
122514
132514
142514
152514
162514
172513
182513
192513
202513
212513
222413
232413
242413
252412
262412
272412
282412
292412
302412
312412

Mpumalanga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°10115.613.75.6
Feb28° / 20°8713.113.15.7
Mar27° / 19°8712.712.26.2
Apr26° / 16°609.111.37.1
May25° / 13°33510.58.2
Jun23° / 11°223.910.18.5
Jul23° / 10°343.910.38.4
Aug23° / 12°305.610.98.1
Sep24° / 14°58911.87.2
Oct24° / 15°8813.812.76.3
Nov25° / 17°10114.813.55.8
Dec26° / 18°10215.613.95.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27327
37327
47426
57525
67624
77624
87624
97723
107723
117723
127723
137822
147822
157723
167822
177822
187822
197723
207723
217723
227822
237822
247822
257822
267921
277921
287921
297921
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mpumalanga gets around 33 mm of rain over 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 16% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
222
322
421
521
620
720
820
919
1019
1118
1218
1317
1417
1516
1616
1715
1815
1915
2014
2114
2214
2313
2413
2513
2613
2712
2812
2912
3012
3113

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 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12544292
22745272
32845251
43046241
53146221
63346201
73546191
83646171
93846161
104045141
114245131
124345110
134544100
14474490
15504380
16524260
17544150
18563950
19583840
20613630
21633430
22663220
23683020
24702820
25722620
26752410
27772210
28792010
29811810
30821710
31841510

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:295:21
210.86:295:20
310.86:305:19
410.86:315:18
510.86:315:17
610.76:325:16
710.76:335:15
810.76:335:15
910.76:345:14
1010.66:355:13
1110.66:355:12
1210.66:365:12
1310.66:375:11
1410.56:375:10
1510.56:385:10
1610.56:385:09
1710.56:395:08
1810.56:405:08
1910.46:405:07
2010.46:415:07
2110.46:425:06
2210.46:425:06
2310.46:435:05
2410.46:445:05
2510.36:445:04
2610.36:455:04
2710.36:455:03
2810.36:465:03
2910.36:465:03
3010.36:475:02
3110.26:485:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mpumalanga

In seasonPeak

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

Mpumalanga sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Mpumalanga?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mpumalanga in May

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

In May, Mpumalanga sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Mpumalanga in May

The nearest coast averages about 24°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 42 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mpumalanga in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mpumalanga peaks around January 16 at about 13 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr5High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga is worst in July — around 148 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11147 µg/m³Jan 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar50Poor
Apr77Unhealthy
May126Unhealthy
Jun144Unhealthy
Jul148Unhealthy
Aug116Unhealthy
Sep88Unhealthy
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov41Poor
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpumalanga?

Mpumalanga sits at 29.8°S, 30.6°E, 711 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Pinetown, 24 km away.

Topography around Mpumalanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpumalanga has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 607 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 701 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,041 m.

The land around Mpumalanga is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), grassland (29%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), grassland (29%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
701 m
80 km
2,041 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Pinetown 24 km · Folweni 26 km · Ntuzuma 31 km · Pietermaritzburg 32 km · Richmond 36 km · Durban 38 km · eMkhomazi 46 km · Mpophomeni 51 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 Mpumalanga (-29.8129°, 30.6365°, elevation 711 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. 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).