Soshanguve weather in May

In May, Soshanguve sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 16 mm of rain across 2.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Soshanguve's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soshanguve's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
10th warmest
Overnight low
10°
4th coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
2.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:41 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
20%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
out of 10

Soshanguve is place in Gauteng, 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

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Soshanguve reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12512
22512
32512
42512
52511
62511
72511
82511
92411
102411
112411
122410
132410
142410
152410
162410
172410
182410
19239
20239
21239
22239
23239
24239
25238
26238
27238
28238
29228
30228
31228

Soshanguve weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 19°9513.313.44.9
Feb30° / 19°8210.212.95.2
Mar28° / 18°769.112.26.4
Apr26° / 14°355.611.47.8
May24° / 10°162.510.88.9
Jun21° / 61.110.48.8
Jul21° / 30.610.68.9
Aug24° / 61.111.19.2
Sep28° / 14°15211.87.9
Oct29° / 16°567.912.66.1
Nov29° / 17°8411.413.25.4
Dec29° / 19°10514.413.65.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38614
48713
58812
68812
78911
88812
98911
108911
119010
129010
139010
149010
159010
169010
179010
188911
198812
208812
218812
228911
239010
249010
259010
269010
279010
289010
29919
30919
31919

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Soshanguve gets around 16 mm of rain over 2.5 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 8% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
312
412
511
611
710
810
99
109
119
128
138
147
157
167
177
187
197
207
216
226
236
246
256
265
275
285
295
305
315

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1919
2928
3937
4946
5946
6955
7964
8964
9973
10973
11982
12982
13982
14982
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of May to 10 h 30 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 6:33 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:335:36
211.06:345:36
311.06:345:35
411.06:355:34
511.06:355:33
611.06:365:33
710.96:365:32
810.96:375:31
910.96:375:31
1010.96:385:30
1110.96:385:29
1210.86:395:29
1310.86:395:28
1410.86:405:28
1510.86:405:27
1610.86:415:27
1710.76:425:26
1810.76:425:26
1910.76:435:25
2010.76:435:25
2110.76:445:24
2210.76:445:24
2310.66:455:24
2410.66:455:23
2510.66:465:23
2610.66:465:23
2710.66:475:22
2810.66:475:22
2910.66:485:22
3010.66:485:21
3110.56:495:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Soshanguve

In seasonPeak

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

Soshanguve'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 Soshanguve?

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

8.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Soshanguve in May

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

In May, Soshanguve sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Soshanguve in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Soshanguve peaks around December 23 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 5 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 14Jun 17UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Soshanguve 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 Soshanguve is worst in June — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.5× the cleanest month (January, 26 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 21166 µg/m³Jan 1126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb40Poor
Mar62Unhealthy
Apr103Unhealthy
May152Very unhealthy
Jun166Very unhealthy
Jul164Very unhealthy
Aug125Unhealthy
Sep93Unhealthy
Oct53Poor
Nov38Poor
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Soshanguve?

Soshanguve sits at 25.5°S, 28.1°E, 1,179 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mabopane, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Soshanguve

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Soshanguve has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 153 m around an average of 1,182 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 921 m.

The land around Soshanguve is covered by artificial surfaces (73%) within 3 km, grassland (41%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
153 m
16 km
294 m
80 km
921 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Mabopane 5.0 km · Ga-Rankuwa 19 km · Hammanskraal 20 km · Letlhabile 26 km · Pretoria 32 km · Hartbeespoort 37 km · Brits 37 km · Centurion 44 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 Soshanguve (-25.4729°, 28.0992°, elevation 1,179 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).