Pinetown weather in May

In May, Pinetown sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 43 mm of rain across 5.4 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Pinetown's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pinetown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
7th warmest
Overnight low
16°
5th coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
5.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:38 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
32%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Pinetown is town in South Africa.

Density
1,672/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 24°C through the month.

A typical May day in Pinetown reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12517
22517
32517
42517
52517
62517
72417
82417
92417
102417
112417
122417
132416
142416
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232415
242415
252415
262415
272415
282415
292415
302315
312314

Pinetown weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 21°911313.76.0
Feb27° / 22°8411.313.16.1
Mar27° / 21°9011.412.26.5
Apr25° / 19°748.611.37.3
May24° / 16°435.410.58.2
Jun23° / 14°284.610.18.4
Jul22° / 13°424.710.38.2
Aug23° / 14°345.910.97.9
Sep23° / 16°608.611.87.2
Oct23° / 17°9012.512.76.4
Nov24° / 19°9613.413.56.2
Dec26° / 20°9413.113.96.1

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 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27426
37525
47525
57624
67624
77723
87723
97822
107723
117723
127822
137822
147822
157822
167822
177822
187723
197723
207723
217822
227822
237822
247921
257921
267921
278119
288119
298119
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pinetown gets around 43 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 22% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
321
421
521
620
720
820
920
1019
1119
1219
1318
1418
1518
1617
1717
1816
1916
2016
2116
2216
2315
2415
2515
2615
2715
2815
2915
3015
3115

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 40% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
110264817
210274815
310284814
411294812
511304811
611314810
71133479
81134478
91136467
101137457
111139446
121240435
131242424
141243413
151345403
161446382
171547372
181647351
191848331
202048311
212248291
222547270
232747250
243047230
253346210
263546190
273845170
284144150
294443140
304741120
315040100

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:28 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:285:20
210.86:285:19
310.86:295:18
410.86:305:17
510.86:305:16
610.76:315:15
710.76:325:14
810.76:325:14
910.76:335:13
1010.66:345:12
1110.66:345:11
1210.66:355:11
1310.66:365:10
1410.56:365:09
1510.56:375:09
1610.56:385:08
1710.56:385:07
1810.56:395:07
1910.46:395:06
2010.46:405:06
2110.46:415:05
2210.46:415:05
2310.46:425:04
2410.46:435:04
2510.36:435:03
2610.36:445:03
2710.36:445:02
2810.36:455:02
2910.36:455:02
3010.36:465:01
3110.26:475:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Pinetown

In seasonPeak

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

Pinetown 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 Pinetown?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Pinetown in May

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

In May, Pinetown sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Pinetown 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 24 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
Jun22Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Pinetown 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 Pinetown 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 Pinetown 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 Pinetown 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 Pinetown?

Pinetown sits at 29.8°S, 30.9°E, 323 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ntuzuma, 11 km away.

Topography around Pinetown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pinetown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 225 m around an average of 302 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,631 m.

The land around Pinetown is covered by trees (64%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (37%), water (27%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
225 m
16 km
833 m
80 km
1,631 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Ntuzuma 11 km · Durban 14 km · Folweni 21 km · Mpumalanga 24 km · Tongaat 35 km · eMkhomazi 44 km · Ballitoville 45 km · Shakaskraal 52 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 Pinetown (-29.8207°, 30.8867°, elevation 323 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).