Richards Bay weather in May
In May, Richards Bay sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 56 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-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 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.
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 Richards Bay's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richards Bay's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 25°
- 7th warmest
- Overnight low
- 18°
- 5th coldest
- Rainfall
- 56 mm
- 7.6 wet days
- Daylight
- 10 h 36 min
- 6:31 AM – 5:05 PM
- Cloud cover
- 29%
- 3rd clearest
- Wind
- 15 km/h
- 11th windiest
- Solar energy
- 3.59 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 7.8
- out of 10
Richards Bay is town.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 13 µg/m³ · 2012
- Founded
- 1879
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.
A typical May day in Richards Bay reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°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 2°C warmer than June.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Avg low (°C) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | 19 |
| 2 | 26 | 19 |
| 3 | 26 | 19 |
| 4 | 26 | 19 |
| 5 | 26 | 19 |
| 6 | 26 | 19 |
| 7 | 26 | 19 |
| 8 | 26 | 19 |
| 9 | 25 | 19 |
| 10 | 25 | 19 |
| 11 | 25 | 18 |
| 12 | 25 | 18 |
| 13 | 25 | 18 |
| 14 | 25 | 18 |
| 15 | 25 | 18 |
| 16 | 25 | 18 |
| 17 | 25 | 18 |
| 18 | 25 | 18 |
| 19 | 25 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 18 |
| 21 | 25 | 18 |
| 22 | 25 | 17 |
| 23 | 25 | 17 |
| 24 | 25 | 17 |
| 25 | 25 | 17 |
| 26 | 25 | 17 |
| 27 | 25 | 17 |
| 28 | 24 | 17 |
| 29 | 24 | 17 |
| 30 | 24 | 17 |
| 31 | 24 | 17 |
Richards Bay weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29° / 23° | 108 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 29° / 23° | 95 | 11.9 | 13 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 28° / 22° | 97 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 27° / 20° | 79 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| May | 25° / 18° | 56 | 7.6 | 10.6 | 7.8 |
| Jun | 24° / 16° | 39 | 6.6 | 10.2 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 23° / 15° | 47 | 6.9 | 10.4 | 8.0 |
| Aug | 24° / 16° | 39 | 7 | 11 | 8.0 |
| Sep | 25° / 18° | 54 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 25° / 19° | 80 | 12.2 | 12.7 | 6.5 |
| Nov | 26° / 20° | 93 | 13.2 | 13.4 | 6.0 |
| Dec | 28° / 22° | 86 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% 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 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 78 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 84 |
| Cloudier (%) | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | 22 |
| 2 | 78 | 22 |
| 3 | 79 | 21 |
| 4 | 79 | 21 |
| 5 | 80 | 20 |
| 6 | 81 | 19 |
| 7 | 81 | 19 |
| 8 | 81 | 19 |
| 9 | 81 | 19 |
| 10 | 82 | 18 |
| 11 | 83 | 17 |
| 12 | 82 | 18 |
| 13 | 82 | 18 |
| 14 | 82 | 18 |
| 15 | 82 | 18 |
| 16 | 82 | 18 |
| 17 | 82 | 18 |
| 18 | 81 | 19 |
| 19 | 81 | 19 |
| 20 | 81 | 19 |
| 21 | 81 | 19 |
| 22 | 81 | 19 |
| 23 | 82 | 18 |
| 24 | 83 | 17 |
| 25 | 83 | 17 |
| 26 | 83 | 17 |
| 27 | 84 | 16 |
| 28 | 84 | 16 |
| 29 | 84 | 16 |
| 30 | 85 | 15 |
| 31 | 84 | 16 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Richards Bay gets around 56 mm of rain over 7.6 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 25% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 29 |
| 4 | 29 |
| 5 | 29 |
| 6 | 28 |
| 7 | 28 |
| 8 | 27 |
| 9 | 27 |
| 10 | 27 |
| 11 | 26 |
| 12 | 26 |
| 13 | 25 |
| 14 | 25 |
| 15 | 25 |
| 16 | 24 |
| 17 | 24 |
| 18 | 24 |
| 19 | 23 |
| 20 | 23 |
| 21 | 23 |
| 22 | 23 |
| 23 | 23 |
| 24 | 23 |
| 25 | 23 |
| 26 | 23 |
| 27 | 23 |
| 28 | 24 |
| 29 | 24 |
| 30 | 24 |
| 31 | 25 |
Humidity in May
Most of May feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
| Comfortable (%) | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 41 |
| Humid (%) | 47 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 55 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 52 | 51 | 49 | 47 | 45 | 43 | 41 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 29 |
| Muggy (%) | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 18 | 47 | 30 |
| 2 | 4 | 19 | 49 | 29 |
| 3 | 4 | 19 | 50 | 27 |
| 4 | 4 | 19 | 51 | 26 |
| 5 | 4 | 20 | 52 | 24 |
| 6 | 4 | 21 | 52 | 23 |
| 7 | 4 | 21 | 53 | 22 |
| 8 | 4 | 22 | 53 | 21 |
| 9 | 4 | 22 | 55 | 19 |
| 10 | 5 | 23 | 54 | 18 |
| 11 | 5 | 24 | 54 | 17 |
| 12 | 5 | 24 | 55 | 16 |
| 13 | 5 | 25 | 56 | 14 |
| 14 | 5 | 26 | 56 | 13 |
| 15 | 6 | 26 | 56 | 12 |
| 16 | 6 | 27 | 57 | 10 |
| 17 | 7 | 28 | 56 | 9 |
| 18 | 8 | 29 | 55 | 8 |
| 19 | 9 | 30 | 54 | 7 |
| 20 | 10 | 32 | 52 | 6 |
| 21 | 11 | 33 | 51 | 5 |
| 22 | 13 | 34 | 49 | 5 |
| 23 | 14 | 35 | 47 | 4 |
| 24 | 16 | 36 | 45 | 3 |
| 25 | 17 | 37 | 43 | 3 |
| 26 | 19 | 38 | 41 | 2 |
| 27 | 21 | 39 | 39 | 2 |
| 28 | 23 | 39 | 36 | 2 |
| 29 | 25 | 40 | 34 | 1 |
| 30 | 27 | 40 | 32 | 1 |
| 31 | 29 | 41 | 29 | 1 |
Wind in May
Winds average 15 km/h in May.
Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | light breeze |
| 2 | 16 | light breeze |
| 3 | 16 | light breeze |
| 4 | 16 | light breeze |
| 5 | 16 | light breeze |
| 6 | 15 | light breeze |
| 7 | 15 | light breeze |
| 8 | 15 | light breeze |
| 9 | 15 | light breeze |
| 10 | 15 | light breeze |
| 11 | 15 | light breeze |
| 12 | 15 | light breeze |
| 13 | 15 | light breeze |
| 14 | 15 | light breeze |
| 15 | 15 | light breeze |
| 16 | 15 | light breeze |
| 17 | 15 | light breeze |
| 18 | 15 | light breeze |
| 19 | 15 | light breeze |
| 20 | 15 | light breeze |
| 21 | 15 | light breeze |
| 22 | 15 | light breeze |
| 23 | 15 | light breeze |
| 24 | 15 | light breeze |
| 25 | 15 | light breeze |
| 26 | 15 | light breeze |
| 27 | 15 | light breeze |
| 28 | 15 | light breeze |
| 29 | 15 | light breeze |
| 30 | 15 | light breeze |
| 31 | 15 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in May
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 6:22 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 4:59 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:22 | 6:22 | 6:23 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:26 | 6:27 | 6:27 | 6:28 | 6:29 | 6:29 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:31 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:34 | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:36 | 6:36 | 6:37 | 6:38 | 6:38 | 6:39 | 6:39 | 6:40 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:16 | 5:15 | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:13 | 5:12 | 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:10 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:08 | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:06 | 5:05 | 5:05 | 5:04 | 5:03 | 5:03 | 5:02 | 5:02 | 5:02 | 5:01 | 5:01 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 4:59 | 4:59 | 4:59 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.9 | 6:22 | 5:16 |
| 2 | 10.9 | 6:22 | 5:15 |
| 3 | 10.9 | 6:23 | 5:15 |
| 4 | 10.8 | 6:24 | 5:14 |
| 5 | 10.8 | 6:24 | 5:13 |
| 6 | 10.8 | 6:25 | 5:12 |
| 7 | 10.8 | 6:25 | 5:11 |
| 8 | 10.7 | 6:26 | 5:11 |
| 9 | 10.7 | 6:27 | 5:10 |
| 10 | 10.7 | 6:27 | 5:09 |
| 11 | 10.7 | 6:28 | 5:08 |
| 12 | 10.7 | 6:29 | 5:08 |
| 13 | 10.6 | 6:29 | 5:07 |
| 14 | 10.6 | 6:30 | 5:06 |
| 15 | 10.6 | 6:30 | 5:06 |
| 16 | 10.6 | 6:31 | 5:05 |
| 17 | 10.5 | 6:32 | 5:05 |
| 18 | 10.5 | 6:32 | 5:04 |
| 19 | 10.5 | 6:33 | 5:03 |
| 20 | 10.5 | 6:33 | 5:03 |
| 21 | 10.5 | 6:34 | 5:02 |
| 22 | 10.5 | 6:35 | 5:02 |
| 23 | 10.4 | 6:35 | 5:02 |
| 24 | 10.4 | 6:36 | 5:01 |
| 25 | 10.4 | 6:36 | 5:01 |
| 26 | 10.4 | 6:37 | 5:00 |
| 27 | 10.4 | 6:38 | 5:00 |
| 28 | 10.4 | 6:38 | 5:00 |
| 29 | 10.3 | 6:39 | 4:59 |
| 30 | 10.3 | 6:39 | 4:59 |
| 31 | 10.3 | 6:40 | 4:59 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.59 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 2 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 3 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 4 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 5 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 6 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 7 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 8 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 9 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 10 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 11 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 12 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 13 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 14 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 15 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 16 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 17 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 18 | 3.5 | Moderate |
| 19 | 3.5 | Moderate |
| 20 | 3.5 | Moderate |
| 21 | 3.5 | Moderate |
| 22 | 3.5 | Moderate |
| 23 | 3.5 | Moderate |
| 24 | 3.4 | Moderate |
| 25 | 3.4 | Moderate |
| 26 | 3.4 | Moderate |
| 27 | 3.4 | Moderate |
| 28 | 3.4 | Moderate |
| 29 | 3.4 | Moderate |
| 30 | 3.3 | Moderate |
| 31 | 3.3 | Moderate |
Hazard calendar for Richards Bay
None of Richards Bay's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.
Richards Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Is May a good time to visit Richards Bay?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is one of the better times to visit Richards Bay for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Richards Bay in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Richards Bay sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 8 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Richards Bay 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 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 25 | Warm |
| May | 24 | Warm |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 22 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Richards Bay in May
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 Richards Bay peaks around February 10 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Extreme | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Air quality in Richards Bay in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Richards Bay is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Richards Bay's WHO annual average of 13 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Richards Bay?
Richards Bay sits at 28.8°S, 32.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empangeni, 14 km away.
Topography around Richards Bay
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Richards Bay.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Richards Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,252 m.
The land around Richards Bay is covered by trees (25%) and water (23%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and water (34%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) within 80 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
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 Richards Bay (-28.783°, 32.0377°, elevation 9 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).