Wellington weather in May

In May, Wellington sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 99 mm of rain across 8.3 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Wellington's 9th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wellington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
8th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:32 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
48%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Wellington is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Founded
1840

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 21°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Wellington reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12110
22110
32110
42110
52110
62110
72110
82110
92110
102110
112110
122110
132110
142110
15209
16209
17209
18209
19209
20209
21199
22199
23199
24199
25198
26188
27188
28188
29188
30188
31188

Wellington weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 16°213.1147.3
Feb29° / 16°172.813.37.2
Mar27° / 15°213.312.38.0
Apr24° / 12°575.611.27.9
May20° / 998.310.36.8
Jun17° / 15210.79.85.4
Jul16° / 1309.9105.4
Aug17° / 11010.610.85.4
Sep19° / 778.711.86.3
Oct22° / 10°476.112.87.4
Nov24° / 12°44613.77.9
Dec27° / 15°254.414.28.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36337
46436
56436
66436
76436
86337
96337
106436
116436
126337
136337
146337
156337
166238
176238
186139
195941
205842
215842
225644
235644
245545
255545
265446
275446
285446
295446
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Wellington gets around 99 mm of rain over 8.3 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 26% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
223
323
423
523
623
723
822
922
1022
1121
1221
1321
1421
1521
1621
1722
1823
1924
2025
2127
2228
2330
2431
2532
2633
2734
2835
2936
3037
3137

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 (%)
1964
2964
3964
4964
5964
6964
7964
8964
9964
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 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 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:21 AM to 7:43 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:216:02
210.67:226:00
310.67:225:59
410.67:235:58
510.67:245:57
610.57:255:57
710.57:255:56
810.57:265:55
910.47:275:54
1010.47:285:53
1110.47:295:52
1210.47:295:51
1310.37:305:50
1410.37:315:50
1510.37:325:49
1610.37:325:48
1710.27:335:47
1810.27:345:47
1910.27:355:46
2010.27:355:45
2110.17:365:45
2210.17:375:44
2310.17:375:44
2410.17:385:43
2510.17:395:42
2610.07:405:42
2710.07:405:42
2810.07:415:41
2910.07:425:41
3010.07:425:40
3110.07:435:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.5 kWh/m² to a high of 8.2 kWh/m² in January across the year — May's 3.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Wellington

In seasonPeak

In May, Wellington sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Wellington's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Wellington?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Wellington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wellington in May

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

In May, Wellington sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Wellington in May

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 55 km away) is warmest in January at about 19°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May16Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Wellington 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 Wellington peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Wellington 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 Wellington is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Wellington?

Wellington sits at 33.6°S, 19.0°E, 127 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Paarl, 11 km away.

Topography around Wellington

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wellington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m around an average of 147 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,646 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,256 m.

The land around Wellington is covered by cropland (44%), artificial surfaces (21%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (34%) and cropland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
164 m
16 km
1,646 m
80 km
2,256 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Paarl 11 km · Le Roux 29 km · Franschhoek 32 km · Malmesbury 33 km · Stellenbosch 35 km · Kraaifontein 36 km · Durbanville 40 km · Worcester 40 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 Wellington (-33.6398°, 19.0112°, elevation 127 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. 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).