Plettenberg Bay weather in May

In May, Plettenberg Bay sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 45 mm of rain across 6.6 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 10th-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 47% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Plettenberg Bay's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plettenberg Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
7th warmest
Overnight low
13°
5th coldest
Rainfall
45 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:16 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
45%
7th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

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

Founded
1779

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 Plettenberg Bay reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12014
22013
32013
42013
52013
62013
72013
82013
92013
102013
112013
122013
132013
142013
152013
162013
172013
182013
191913
201913
211913
221912
231912
241912
251912
261912
271912
281912
291812
301812
311812

Plettenberg Bay 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
Jan23° / 17°488.8147.3
Feb23° / 18°428.113.37.4
Mar22° / 17°518.412.37.3
Apr21° / 15°497.711.27.0
May19° / 13°456.610.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.19.86.5
Jul17° / 10°477.6106.2
Aug17° / 11°638.910.76.0
Sep18° / 12°498.611.86.2
Oct19° / 13°609.112.96.4
Nov20° / 14°679.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°469.114.27.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 (%)
16832
26832
36931
46931
56931
67030
77030
87030
97030
106931
116832
126832
136733
146634
156634
166535
176436
186436
196337
206238
216238
226337
236337
246436
256436
266535
276535
286634
296733
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Plettenberg Bay gets around 45 mm of rain over 6.6 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 21% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
322
421
521
620
720
820
919
1019
1118
1218
1318
1418
1518
1619
1719
1820
1921
2021
2122
2222
2323
2423
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
167321
268311
369301
470291
571281
672271
773261
874251
976231
1077221
1178211
1279201
1381181
1482171
1584160
1685150
1786140
1887130
1988120
2089110
219190
229280
239280
249370
259460
269550
279640
289730
299730
309820
319820

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 7:04 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:045:43
210.67:055:42
310.67:065:41
410.67:065:40
510.57:075:39
610.57:085:38
710.57:095:37
810.47:105:36
910.47:105:36
1010.47:115:35
1110.47:125:34
1210.37:135:33
1310.37:135:32
1410.37:145:31
1510.37:155:31
1610.27:165:30
1710.27:165:29
1810.27:175:28
1910.27:185:28
2010.17:195:27
2110.17:195:26
2210.17:205:26
2310.17:215:25
2410.17:225:25
2510.07:225:24
2610.07:235:24
2710.07:245:23
2810.07:245:23
2910.07:255:22
309.97:265:22
319.97:265:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 3.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Plettenberg Bay?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Plettenberg Bay in May

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

In May, Plettenberg Bay sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Plettenberg Bay in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Plettenberg 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 Plettenberg Bay peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Plettenberg Bay?

Plettenberg Bay sits at 34.1°S, 23.4°E, 77 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Knysna, 30 km away.

Topography around Plettenberg Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Plettenberg Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,914 m.

The land around Plettenberg Bay is covered by water (36%), trees (25%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
174 m
16 km
521 m
80 km
1,914 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Knysna 30 km · George 84 km · Dysselsdorp 101 km · Groot-Brakrivier 106 km · Mossel Bay 114 km · Oudtshoorn 119 km · Kruisfontein 125 km · Humansdorp 129 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 Plettenberg Bay (-34.0527°, 23.3716°, elevation 77 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).