Rumbek weather in May

In May, Rumbek sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 136 mm of rain across 20.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rumbek's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rumbek's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
136 mm
20.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:48 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
70%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Rumbek is human settlement.

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 34°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical May day in Rumbek reaches about 33°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 36°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13425
23425
33425
43425
53425
63425
73425
83425
93425
103325
113325
123325
133325
143325
153324
163324
173324
183324
193324
203324
213324
223324
233324
243224
253224
263224
273224
283224
293224
303224
313224

How May really feels in Rumbek

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.

Rumbek weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 24°30.411.62.7
Feb37° / 25°4111.81.7
Mar38° / 26°245.1121.4
Apr36° / 26°7713.712.11.9
May33° / 24°13620.712.32.6
Jun31° / 23°13220.612.43.2
Jul30° / 22°16723.112.43.4
Aug30° / 22°17424.112.23.3
Sep31° / 22°15021.9123.3
Oct31° / 23°13121.111.83.2
Nov33° / 23°338.411.73.6
Dec35° / 23°4111.63.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33367
43367
53268
63367
73466
83466
93367
103466
113466
123466
133565
143565
153565
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243565
253664
263565
273565
283664
293763
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rumbek gets around 136 mm of rain over 20.7 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 66% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
258
359
460
561
662
763
864
965
1065
1166
1266
1366
1467
1567
1667
1767
1867
1967
2068
2168
2268
2368
2469
2569
2669
2769
2869
2969
3069
3169

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 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
143660
233562
333463
423365
523167
623068
712871
812673
912574
1012376
1102278
1202179
1301981
1401882
1501783
1601783
1701684
1801585
1901486
2001387
2101387
2201288
2301189
2401189
2501090
260991
270991
280892
290892
300793
310793

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 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 6:51 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:517:06
212.26:517:06
312.26:517:06
412.36:517:06
512.36:507:06
612.36:507:06
712.36:507:06
812.36:507:06
912.36:497:06
1012.36:497:06
1112.36:497:06
1212.36:497:06
1312.36:497:06
1412.36:497:07
1512.36:487:07
1612.36:487:07
1712.36:487:07
1812.36:487:07
1912.36:487:07
2012.36:487:07
2112.36:487:08
2212.36:487:08
2312.36:487:08
2412.36:487:08
2512.36:487:08
2612.36:487:09
2712.46:487:09
2812.46:487:09
2912.46:487:09
3012.46:487:09
3112.46:487:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.58 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
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Rumbek

In seasonPeak

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

Rumbek's rainy season runs May–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 Rumbek?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rumbek.

What to pack for Rumbek in May

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

In May, Rumbek sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Rumbek 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 Rumbek peaks around March 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 20UV 14Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Rumbek 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 Rumbek is worst in January — around 81 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (September, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyJan 1281 µg/m³Sep 1311 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan81Unhealthy
Feb77Unhealthy
Mar51Poor
Apr25Moderate
May12Good
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct13Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec80Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Rumbek?

Rumbek sits at 6.8°N, 29.7°E, 428 m above sea level, in South Sudan. The nearest listed city is Tonj, 122 km away.

TonjLeerWauBorKuacjokGogrialYambioJuba

Topography around Rumbek

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rumbek has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 422 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 160 m.

The land around Rumbek is covered by grassland (72%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and shrubs (26%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) and shrubs (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
10 m
16 km
47 m
80 km
160 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
May weather nearby: Tonj 122 km · Leer 174 km · Wau 211 km · Bor 218 km · Kuacjok 250 km · Gogrial 259 km · Yambio 286 km · Juba 303 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 Rumbek (6.8062°, 29.6774°, elevation 428 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).