Malakal weather in May

In May, Malakal sees average daytime highs of 36°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 70 mm of rain across 14.2 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 37°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Malakal's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Malakal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
10th coldest
Rainfall
70 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:37 AM – 7:03 PM
Cloud cover
62%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.0
out of 10

Malakal is city in South Sudan.

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 37°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical May day in Malakal reaches about 36°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13727
23727
33727
43727
53727
63627
73627
83627
93627
103627
113626
123626
133626
143626
153626
163626
173626
183626
193626
203526
213526
223526
233526
243526
253526
263526
273525
283525
293425
303425
313425

How May really feels in Malakal

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
12 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Malakal weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 23°00.111.53.1
Feb37° / 24°0011.71.7
Mar39° / 26°4111.90.5
Apr38° / 27°276.712.20.9
May36° / 26°7014.212.42.0
Jun33° / 24°10217.212.53.0
Jul30° / 23°17222.712.53.4
Aug30° / 23°1942412.33.4
Sep31° / 23°12920.212.13.5
Oct32° / 23°10116.611.83.4
Nov34° / 23°14311.63.4
Dec35° / 23°00.111.53.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35050
45050
54951
64951
74951
84951
94951
105050
114951
124951
134951
144951
154852
164753
174753
184753
194654
204753
214753
224753
234654
244654
254555
264555
274555
284456
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Malakal gets around 70 mm of rain over 14.2 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 45% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
238
339
439
540
640
740
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1542
1642
1743
1844
1945
2046
2147
2248
2349
2450
2551
2652
2753
2853
2953
3054
3154

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 83% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
135254621
224244723
324234724
424224726
513214727
613204729
712194830
812194831
912184832
1002174833
1102174734
1201174734
1301164735
1401164835
1501164835
1601154835
1701154935
1801144936
1901134936
2001134937
2101124938
2201124938
2301114839
2401104841
2501104842
260194743
270184745
280074646
290064548
300064449
310054352

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:41 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:417:01
212.36:407:01
312.36:407:01
412.46:407:01
512.46:397:01
612.46:397:01
712.46:397:01
812.46:387:01
912.46:387:01
1012.46:387:02
1112.46:387:02
1212.46:377:02
1312.46:377:02
1412.46:377:02
1512.46:377:02
1612.46:377:03
1712.46:367:03
1812.46:367:03
1912.56:367:03
2012.56:367:03
2112.56:367:04
2212.56:367:04
2312.56:367:04
2412.56:367:04
2512.56:367:05
2612.56:357:05
2712.56:357:05
2812.56:357:05
2912.56:357:06
3012.56:357:06
3112.56:357:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.63 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Malakal

In seasonPeak

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

Malakal's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Malakal?

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

2.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Malakal.

What to pack for Malakal in May

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

In May, Malakal sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Malakal 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 Malakal peaks around March 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 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 15UV 13Dec 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Malakal 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 Malakal is worst in December — around 84 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.5× the cleanest month (August, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyDec 1083 µg/m³Aug 2211 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan38Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr26Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep12Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov81Unhealthy
Dec84Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Malakal?

Malakal sits at 9.5°N, 31.7°E, 400 m above sea level, in South Sudan. The nearest listed city is Leer, 216 km away.

LeerAbu JibehaKadugliĀsosaBambesiGambēlaAbyeiDilling

Topography around Malakal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Malakal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 391 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m.

The land around Malakal is covered by grassland (61%) and wetland (21%) within 3 km, grassland (75%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
10 m
16 km
13 m
80 km
36 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Leer 216 km · Abu Jibeha 219 km · Kadugli 269 km · Āsosa 320 km · Bambesi 338 km · Gambēla 351 km · Abyei 354 km · Dilling 356 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 Malakal (9.5334°, 31.6605°, elevation 400 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).