Juba weather in May

In May, Juba sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 122 mm of rain across 18.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Juba's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Juba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
122 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:43 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Juba is capital of the Republic of South Sudan.

Density
8,654/km²
people per km²
Founded
1922

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 32°C through the month.

A typical May day in Juba reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13324
23324
33324
43324
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103324
113324
123324
133324
143324
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233224
243224
253224
263224
273224
283224
293223
303223
313223

How May really feels in Juba

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Juba weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 24°4111.82.5
Feb37° / 25°61.411.81.7
Mar37° / 26°307.3121.7
Apr35° / 25°9715.512.12.3
May32° / 24°12218.512.23.0
Jun31° / 23°11117.312.33.6
Jul30° / 22°1271912.33.9
Aug30° / 22°1352112.23.7
Sep31° / 22°11317.9123.7
Oct31° / 22°17220.811.93.4
Nov32° / 23°7211.511.83.7
Dec34° / 23°92.211.73.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43169
53268
63367
73466
83565
93565
103664
113763
123961
133961
144159
154258
164357
174456
184555
194654
204753
214654
224753
234852
244852
254852
264951
274951
284951
294852
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Juba gets around 122 mm of rain over 18.5 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 59% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
157
257
358
458
559
659
760
860
961
1061
1161
1261
1361
1461
1561
1661
1761
1860
1960
2060
2159
2259
2358
2458
2558
2658
2758
2858
2958
3058
3158

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
114059
213861
313762
413663
503565
603466
703367
803268
903169
1003169
1103070
1203070
1303070
1403070
1503169
1603169
1703169
1803268
1903268
2003367
2103367
2203367
2303466
2403466
2503466
2603466
2703466
2803466
2903565
3003565
3103565

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:46 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:466:56
212.26:466:56
312.26:456:56
412.26:456:56
512.26:456:56
612.26:456:56
712.26:456:56
812.26:446:56
912.26:446:56
1012.26:446:56
1112.26:446:56
1212.26:446:56
1312.26:446:56
1412.26:446:56
1512.26:436:56
1612.26:436:57
1712.26:436:57
1812.26:436:57
1912.26:436:57
2012.26:436:57
2112.26:436:57
2212.26:436:57
2312.26:436:57
2412.26:436:58
2512.26:436:58
2612.26:436:58
2712.26:436:58
2812.36:436:58
2912.36:436:58
3012.36:436:59
3112.36:436:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

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
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Juba

In seasonPeak

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

Juba's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Juba?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Juba.

What to pack for Juba in May

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

In May, Juba sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Juba in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Juba peaks around March 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 17UV 15Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Juba 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 Juba is worst in December — around 90 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 9.2× the cleanest month (May, 10 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateModerateUnhealthyDec 2490 µg/m³May 1010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan88Unhealthy
Feb32Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov22Moderate
Dec90Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Juba?

Juba sits at 4.9°N, 31.6°E, 518 m above sea level, in South Sudan. The nearest listed city is Torit, 120 km away.

ToritYeiMoyoPajokBorYumbeAdjumaniKoboko

Topography around Juba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Juba has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 488 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 958 m.

The land around Juba is covered by artificial surfaces (86%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
289 m
80 km
958 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Torit 120 km · Yei 131 km · Moyo 133 km · Pajok 148 km · Bor 151 km · Yumbe 159 km · Adjumani 166 km · Koboko 174 km

South Sudan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Prices
≈ 6% of US
price level, 2021
GDP per capita
$1,080
2015
Happiness
2.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2019
Homicide rate
14
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
36.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Christian 61%folk religion 33%Muslim 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 Juba (4.8517°, 31.5825°, elevation 518 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).