Ulundi weather in May

In May, Ulundi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 19 mm of rain across 3.3 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% 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 Ulundi's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ulundi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
19 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:33 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
29%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Ulundi is town in the Zululand District Municipality, and at one time the capital of Zululand in South Africa.

Density
3,096/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Ulundi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 30°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)
12615
22615
32614
42614
52614
62614
72614
82614
92614
102614
112614
122613
132613
142613
152613
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222512
232512
242512
252512
262512
272512
282512
292512
302511
312511

Ulundi weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 20°8613.513.64.6
Feb30° / 20°7510.9134.8
Mar29° / 19°7210.512.25.5
Apr27° / 16°426.811.37.2
May26° / 13°193.310.68.4
Jun24° / 10°122.210.29.0
Jul24° / 10°172.510.48.9
Aug25° / 12°194.1118.4
Sep26° / 14°356.311.87.4
Oct26° / 16°6710.912.76.5
Nov27° / 17°861313.45.8
Dec29° / 19°8613.913.85.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27624
37624
47822
57921
67921
77921
88020
98020
108020
118020
128020
138020
148119
158119
168020
178020
188020
198020
208020
218020
228020
238020
248119
258119
268218
278218
288317
298317
308317
318416

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ulundi gets around 19 mm of rain over 3.3 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 11% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
217
317
416
516
615
715
815
914
1014
1113
1213
1312
1412
1511
1610
1710
189
199
209
218
228
238
247
257
267
277
287
297
307
317

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 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1404416
2424314
3444313
4464211
5494110
651409
753398
856377
957367
1060346
1162335
1264315
1366304
1468293
1569283
1672262
1773252
1875241
1976231
2077221
2179201
2280191
2381181
2484160
2585150
2686140
2787130
2888120
2989110
3090100
319190

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 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
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 6:24 AM to 6:41 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 5:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:245:19
210.96:245:19
310.96:255:18
410.96:255:17
510.86:265:16
610.86:275:15
710.86:275:15
810.86:285:14
910.76:285:13
1010.76:295:12
1110.76:305:12
1210.76:305:11
1310.76:315:10
1410.66:315:10
1510.66:325:09
1610.66:335:08
1710.66:335:08
1810.66:345:07
1910.56:355:07
2010.56:355:06
2110.56:365:06
2210.56:365:05
2310.56:375:05
2410.56:375:04
2510.46:385:04
2610.46:395:04
2710.46:395:03
2810.46:405:03
2910.46:405:03
3010.46:415:02
3110.36:415:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.34 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.74 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ulundi?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ulundi in May

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

In May, Ulundi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 3 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Ulundi 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 Ulundi peaks around February 9 at about 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 12Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Ulundi 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 Ulundi is worst in July — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.3× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1639 µg/m³Jan 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun35Moderate
Jul40Poor
Aug33Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ulundi?

Ulundi sits at 28.3°S, 31.4°E, 484 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Eshowe, 62 km away.

Topography around Ulundi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ulundi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m around an average of 477 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 874 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m.

The land around Ulundi is covered by trees (33%) and shrubs (29%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), trees (30%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
170 m
16 km
874 m
80 km
1,775 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Eshowe 62 km · Empangeni 67 km · Mtubatuba 76 km · eSikhaleni 76 km · Richards Bay 79 km · Mondlo 79 km · Vryheid 88 km · Mandeni 90 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 Ulundi (-28.3352°, 31.4162°, elevation 484 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).