Busan weather in May

In May, Busan sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 130 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Busan's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Busan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
130 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:25 AM – 7:15 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Busan is metropolitan city of South Korea.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 17 µg/m³ · 2020
Density
4,267/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Busan reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11614
21614
31714
41714
51714
61714
71715
81715
91715
101715
111715
121715
131815
141815
151815
161816
171816
181816
191816
201816
211816
221816
231916
241917
251917
261917
271917
281917
291917
301917
311917

How May really feels in Busan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Busan weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 374.79.91.4
Feb / 475.110.72.0
Mar12° / 897.911.73.2
Apr15° / 12°1218.112.94.7
May18° / 16°1307.613.86.1
Jun21° / 19°1679.314.36.4
Jul25° / 23°22811.814.16.4
Aug27° / 25°18111.113.36.5
Sep24° / 22°1598.812.27.0
Oct20° / 17°724.511.17.4
Nov15° / 11°525.410.25.3
Dec10° / 334.19.72.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35248
45149
55149
65149
75050
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134852
144852
154852
164753
174852
184852
194852
204852
214753
224852
234852
244852
254951
264951
274951
284951
294951
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Busan gets around 130 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 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1525
1625
1725
1825
1925
2024
2124
2223
2323
2423
2522
2622
2722
2821
2921
3021
3121

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 46% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1623440
2593650
3573850
4563950
5534160
6514270
7494370
8484480
9464580
10444690
114347100
124148110
133950120
143651130
153452140
163252160
173052180
182852200
192652220
202452240
212252260
222052280
231951300
241750330
251649350
261448371
271346401
281245421
291143452
301041472
31939483

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:397:03
213.45:387:04
313.55:377:05
413.55:367:05
513.55:357:06
613.65:347:07
713.65:337:08
813.65:327:09
913.65:317:10
1013.75:307:10
1113.75:297:11
1213.75:287:12
1313.85:277:13
1413.85:277:14
1513.85:267:14
1613.85:257:15
1713.95:247:16
1813.95:247:17
1913.95:237:18
2013.95:227:18
2114.05:217:19
2214.05:217:20
2314.05:207:21
2414.05:207:21
2514.15:197:22
2614.15:197:23
2714.15:187:24
2814.15:187:24
2914.15:177:25
3014.15:177:26
3114.25:167:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Busan

In seasonPeak

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

Busan sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Busan's rainy season runs April–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Busan?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Busan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Busan in May

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

In May, Busan sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Busan in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 17 to Nov 7 — about 4.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr15Bracing
May17Cool
Jun20Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Busan in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Busan peaks around August 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Busan 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 Busan is worst in March — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (August, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Busan's WHO annual average of 17 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2121 µg/m³Aug 1913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Busan?

Busan sits at 35.1°N, 129.0°E, 15 m above sea level, in South Korea. The nearest listed city is Kimhae, 20 km away.

ChangwonUngsangGeojeSinhyeonKyosai

Topography around Busan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Busan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 485 m around an average of 75 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 636 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,204 m.

The land around Busan is covered by artificial surfaces (50%), trees (26%) and water (21%) within 3 km, water (51%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
485 m
16 km
636 m
80 km
1,204 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kimhae 20 km · Gijang 23 km · Yangsan 27 km · Changwon 35 km · Ungsang 36 km · Geoje 44 km · Sinhyeon 44 km · Kyosai 49 km

South Korea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 57% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$36,227
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 522
Religion
none 60%Protestant 17%Buddhist 16%Catholic 6%

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 Busan (35.1017°, 129.03°, elevation 15 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).