Pietermaritzburg weather in May

In May, Pietermaritzburg sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 29 mm of rain across 5.1 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Pietermaritzburg's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pietermaritzburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
9th warmest
Overnight low
10°
4th coldest
Rainfall
29 mm
5.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:39 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
34%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Pietermaritzburg is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
6,661/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Pietermaritzburg 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 18°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12412
22412
32412
42412
52411
62411
72411
82411
92411
102411
112411
122311
132311
142311
152310
162310
172310
182310
192310
202310
212310
222310
23239
24239
25239
26239
27239
28229
29229
30228
31228

Pietermaritzburg 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
Jan27° / 17°1341813.75.3
Feb27° / 17°11314.913.15.5
Mar26° / 16°9614.312.26.1
Apr24° / 14°589.711.37.1
May23° / 10°295.110.58.1
Jun21° / 203.410.18.2
Jul21° / 293.810.38.1
Aug23° / 325.910.97.9
Sep24° / 12°569.511.87.2
Oct24° / 13°9215.412.76.1
Nov25° / 14°11617.213.55.5
Dec26° / 16°12919.213.95.2

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 13% 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
37129
47228
57228
67327
77426
87426
97525
107525
117525
127624
137624
147624
157723
167723
177624
187624
197624
207624
217624
227624
237624
247624
257723
267822
277822
287822
297822
307921
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pietermaritzburg gets around 29 mm of rain over 5.1 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 17% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
223
322
421
521
620
720
819
919
1018
1118
1217
1317
1416
1516
1615
1715
1815
1915
2015
2115
2215
2314
2414
2514
2614
2714
2814
2913
3013
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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
168293
271272
373252
476231
577221
679201
781181
884160
985150
1086140
1188120
1289110
1390100
149280
159370
169460
179550
189550
199640
209730
219730
229820
239820
249820
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

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 6:29 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:295:22
210.86:305:21
310.86:315:20
410.86:315:19
510.86:325:18
610.76:335:17
710.76:335:17
810.76:345:16
910.76:355:15
1010.76:355:14
1110.66:365:14
1210.66:375:13
1310.66:375:12
1410.66:385:12
1510.56:385:11
1610.56:395:10
1710.56:405:10
1810.56:405:09
1910.56:415:08
2010.46:425:08
2110.46:425:07
2210.46:435:07
2310.46:435:06
2410.46:445:06
2510.36:455:06
2610.36:455:05
2710.36:465:05
2810.36:465:04
2910.36:475:04
3010.36:485:04
3110.36:485:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Pietermaritzburg

In seasonPeak

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

Pietermaritzburg'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 Pietermaritzburg?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Pietermaritzburg in May

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

In May, Pietermaritzburg sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg peaks around January 16 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg is worst in July — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1399 µg/m³Jan 1222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar42Poor
Apr60Unhealthy
May91Unhealthy
Jun92Unhealthy
Jul100Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pietermaritzburg?

Pietermaritzburg sits at 29.6°S, 30.4°E, 636 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mpophomeni, 21 km away.

Topography around Pietermaritzburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pietermaritzburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 653 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,321 m.

The land around Pietermaritzburg is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
1,026 m
80 km
2,321 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Mpophomeni 21 km · Howick 22 km · Richmond 31 km · Mpumalanga 32 km · Pinetown 53 km · Ntuzuma 55 km · Folweni 58 km · Mooi River 60 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 Pietermaritzburg (-29.6168°, 30.3928°, elevation 636 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).