Kaohsiung weather in May
In May, Kaohsiung sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 232 mm of rain across 17.3 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kaohsiung's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaohsiung's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 29°
- 5th warmest
- Overnight low
- 26°
- 8th coldest
- Rainfall
- 232 mm
- 17.3 wet days
- Daylight
- 13 h 06 min
- 5:23 AM – 6:27 PM
- Cloud cover
- 69%
- 9th clearest
- Wind
- 10 km/h
- 10th windiest
- Solar energy
- 5.38 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 4.4
- out of 10
Kaohsiung is city in southern Taiwan.
- Density
- 927/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 2010
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.
A typical May day in Kaohsiung reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and on par with June.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Avg low (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | 25 |
| 2 | 29 | 25 |
| 3 | 29 | 25 |
| 4 | 29 | 25 |
| 5 | 29 | 25 |
| 6 | 29 | 25 |
| 7 | 29 | 25 |
| 8 | 29 | 25 |
| 9 | 29 | 25 |
| 10 | 29 | 25 |
| 11 | 29 | 25 |
| 12 | 29 | 25 |
| 13 | 29 | 25 |
| 14 | 29 | 26 |
| 15 | 29 | 26 |
| 16 | 29 | 26 |
| 17 | 29 | 26 |
| 18 | 29 | 26 |
| 19 | 29 | 26 |
| 20 | 29 | 26 |
| 21 | 29 | 26 |
| 22 | 29 | 26 |
| 23 | 29 | 26 |
| 24 | 29 | 26 |
| 25 | 29 | 26 |
| 26 | 29 | 26 |
| 27 | 30 | 26 |
| 28 | 30 | 26 |
| 29 | 30 | 26 |
| 30 | 30 | 26 |
| 31 | 30 | 26 |
How May really feels in Kaohsiung
Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 30 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.
The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Kaohsiung weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23° / 18° | 35 | 5.9 | 10.8 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 24° / 18° | 26 | 6 | 11.2 | 7.6 |
| Mar | 26° / 21° | 36 | 7.3 | 11.8 | 7.2 |
| Apr | 28° / 23° | 82 | 10 | 12.5 | 6.2 |
| May | 29° / 26° | 232 | 17.3 | 13.1 | 4.4 |
| Jun | 30° / 27° | 338 | 20.5 | 13.4 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 31° / 27° | 275 | 19.7 | 13.2 | 3.5 |
| Aug | 30° / 27° | 363 | 21.2 | 12.8 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 30° / 26° | 189 | 16.7 | 12.1 | 4.1 |
| Oct | 29° / 25° | 80 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 5.6 |
| Nov | 27° / 22° | 58 | 8.1 | 10.9 | 7.0 |
| Dec | 24° / 19° | 40 | 5.6 | 10.6 | 7.7 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 65%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 47 | 46 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Cloudier (%) | 53 | 54 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 59 | 59 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47 | 53 |
| 2 | 46 | 54 |
| 3 | 46 | 54 |
| 4 | 45 | 55 |
| 5 | 44 | 56 |
| 6 | 44 | 56 |
| 7 | 43 | 57 |
| 8 | 42 | 58 |
| 9 | 41 | 59 |
| 10 | 41 | 59 |
| 11 | 41 | 59 |
| 12 | 39 | 61 |
| 13 | 39 | 61 |
| 14 | 38 | 62 |
| 15 | 37 | 63 |
| 16 | 35 | 65 |
| 17 | 34 | 66 |
| 18 | 34 | 66 |
| 19 | 32 | 68 |
| 20 | 32 | 68 |
| 21 | 30 | 70 |
| 22 | 29 | 71 |
| 23 | 29 | 71 |
| 24 | 27 | 73 |
| 25 | 27 | 73 |
| 26 | 26 | 74 |
| 27 | 26 | 74 |
| 28 | 26 | 74 |
| 29 | 26 | 74 |
| 30 | 26 | 74 |
| 31 | 26 | 74 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Kaohsiung gets around 232 mm of rain over 17.3 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 55% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 41 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 53 | 54 | 56 | 57 | 59 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 69 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 41 |
| 2 | 42 |
| 3 | 43 |
| 4 | 43 |
| 5 | 44 |
| 6 | 44 |
| 7 | 45 |
| 8 | 45 |
| 9 | 46 |
| 10 | 46 |
| 11 | 47 |
| 12 | 49 |
| 13 | 50 |
| 14 | 51 |
| 15 | 53 |
| 16 | 54 |
| 17 | 56 |
| 18 | 57 |
| 19 | 59 |
| 20 | 60 |
| 21 | 62 |
| 22 | 64 |
| 23 | 65 |
| 24 | 66 |
| 25 | 67 |
| 26 | 68 |
| 27 | 68 |
| 28 | 68 |
| 29 | 69 |
| 30 | 69 |
| 31 | 69 |
Humidity in May
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 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humid (%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Oppressive (%) | 61 | 62 | 62 | 60 | 60 | 59 | 61 | 60 | 59 | 58 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 56 | 55 | 55 | 54 | 54 | 52 | 51 | 49 | 47 | 45 | 43 | 41 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 30 |
| Miserable (%) | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 37 | 38 | 40 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 47 | 49 | 51 | 53 | 55 | 57 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 66 |
| Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 21 | 61 | 13 |
| 2 | 4 | 20 | 62 | 14 |
| 3 | 4 | 19 | 62 | 15 |
| 4 | 4 | 19 | 60 | 17 |
| 5 | 3 | 18 | 60 | 19 |
| 6 | 3 | 17 | 59 | 21 |
| 7 | 2 | 15 | 61 | 22 |
| 8 | 2 | 14 | 60 | 24 |
| 9 | 2 | 13 | 59 | 26 |
| 10 | 2 | 12 | 58 | 28 |
| 11 | 1 | 11 | 59 | 29 |
| 12 | 1 | 10 | 58 | 31 |
| 13 | 1 | 10 | 57 | 32 |
| 14 | 1 | 9 | 56 | 34 |
| 15 | 1 | 8 | 56 | 35 |
| 16 | 1 | 7 | 55 | 37 |
| 17 | 1 | 6 | 55 | 38 |
| 18 | 0 | 6 | 54 | 40 |
| 19 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 41 |
| 20 | 0 | 5 | 52 | 43 |
| 21 | 0 | 4 | 51 | 45 |
| 22 | 0 | 4 | 49 | 47 |
| 23 | 0 | 4 | 47 | 49 |
| 24 | 0 | 4 | 45 | 51 |
| 25 | 0 | 4 | 43 | 53 |
| 26 | 0 | 4 | 41 | 55 |
| 27 | 0 | 4 | 39 | 57 |
| 28 | 0 | 4 | 36 | 60 |
| 29 | 0 | 4 | 34 | 62 |
| 30 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 64 |
| 31 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 66 |
Wind in May
Winds average 10 km/h in May.
Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | calm |
| 2 | 10 | calm |
| 3 | 10 | calm |
| 4 | 10 | calm |
| 5 | 10 | calm |
| 6 | 10 | calm |
| 7 | 10 | calm |
| 8 | 10 | calm |
| 9 | 10 | calm |
| 10 | 10 | calm |
| 11 | 10 | calm |
| 12 | 10 | calm |
| 13 | 10 | calm |
| 14 | 10 | calm |
| 15 | 10 | calm |
| 16 | 10 | calm |
| 17 | 10 | calm |
| 18 | 10 | calm |
| 19 | 10 | calm |
| 20 | 10 | calm |
| 21 | 10 | calm |
| 22 | 10 | calm |
| 23 | 10 | calm |
| 24 | 10 | calm |
| 25 | 10 | calm |
| 26 | 10 | calm |
| 27 | 10 | calm |
| 28 | 10 | calm |
| 29 | 10 | calm |
| 30 | 10 | calm |
| 31 | 10 | calm |
Sunrise & sunset in May
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 30 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:34 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:31 | 5:31 | 5:30 | 5:29 | 5:29 | 5:28 | 5:27 | 5:27 | 5:26 | 5:26 | 5:25 | 5:24 | 5:24 | 5:23 | 5:23 | 5:23 | 5:22 | 5:22 | 5:21 | 5:21 | 5:21 | 5:20 | 5:20 | 5:20 | 5:19 | 5:19 | 5:19 | 5:19 | 5:18 | 5:18 | 5:18 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:21 | 6:21 | 6:22 | 6:22 | 6:22 | 6:23 | 6:23 | 6:24 | 6:24 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:26 | 6:26 | 6:27 | 6:27 | 6:27 | 6:28 | 6:28 | 6:29 | 6:29 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:31 | 6:31 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:34 | 6:34 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.8 | 5:31 | 6:21 |
| 2 | 12.8 | 5:31 | 6:21 |
| 3 | 12.9 | 5:30 | 6:22 |
| 4 | 12.9 | 5:29 | 6:22 |
| 5 | 12.9 | 5:29 | 6:22 |
| 6 | 12.9 | 5:28 | 6:23 |
| 7 | 12.9 | 5:27 | 6:23 |
| 8 | 13.0 | 5:27 | 6:24 |
| 9 | 13.0 | 5:26 | 6:24 |
| 10 | 13.0 | 5:26 | 6:25 |
| 11 | 13.0 | 5:25 | 6:25 |
| 12 | 13.0 | 5:24 | 6:26 |
| 13 | 13.0 | 5:24 | 6:26 |
| 14 | 13.1 | 5:23 | 6:27 |
| 15 | 13.1 | 5:23 | 6:27 |
| 16 | 13.1 | 5:23 | 6:27 |
| 17 | 13.1 | 5:22 | 6:28 |
| 18 | 13.1 | 5:22 | 6:28 |
| 19 | 13.1 | 5:21 | 6:29 |
| 20 | 13.1 | 5:21 | 6:29 |
| 21 | 13.2 | 5:21 | 6:30 |
| 22 | 13.2 | 5:20 | 6:30 |
| 23 | 13.2 | 5:20 | 6:31 |
| 24 | 13.2 | 5:20 | 6:31 |
| 25 | 13.2 | 5:19 | 6:32 |
| 26 | 13.2 | 5:19 | 6:32 |
| 27 | 13.2 | 5:19 | 6:33 |
| 28 | 13.2 | 5:19 | 6:33 |
| 29 | 13.3 | 5:18 | 6:33 |
| 30 | 13.3 | 5:18 | 6:34 |
| 31 | 13.3 | 5:18 | 6:34 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.38 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.23 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.38 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 2 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 3 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 4 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 5 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 6 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 7 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 8 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 9 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 10 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 11 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 12 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 13 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 14 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 15 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 16 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 17 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 18 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 19 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 20 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 21 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 22 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 23 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 24 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 25 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 26 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 27 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 28 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 29 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 30 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 31 | 5.1 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Kaohsiung
In May, Kaohsiung sits inside its pacific typhoon and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Kaohsiung sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Kaohsiung's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is May a good time to visit Kaohsiung?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is a reasonable time to visit Kaohsiung for sightseeing.
What to pack for Kaohsiung in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Kaohsiung sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 17 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kaohsiung in May
The nearest coast averages about 28°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 19 km away) is warmest in July at about 29°C and coldest in January near 24°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 25 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 24 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 24 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Warm |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Kaohsiung in May
Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kaohsiung peaks around June 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Very high |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Kaohsiung in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Kaohsiung is worst in March — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (June, 14 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 33 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 24 | 32 | 32 | 31 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | Moderate |
| Feb | 33 | Moderate |
| Mar | 34 | Moderate |
| Apr | 28 | Moderate |
| May | 20 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 24 | Moderate |
| Oct | 32 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 31 | Moderate |
Where is Kaohsiung?
Kaohsiung sits at 22.6°N, 120.3°E, 9 m above sea level, in Taiwan. The nearest listed city is Fengshan, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Kaohsiung
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kaohsiung.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kaohsiung has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,241 m.
The land around Kaohsiung is covered by artificial surfaces (82%) within 3 km, water (43%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.
Taiwan travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 110 / 220 V · 60 Hz
- Happiness
- 6.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Religion
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 Kaohsiung (22.6163°, 120.3133°, elevation 9 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).