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

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142926
152926
162926
172926
182926
192926
202926
212926
222926
232926
242926
252926
262926
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
30
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.

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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 18°355.910.87.6
Feb24° / 18°26611.27.6
Mar26° / 21°367.311.87.2
Apr28° / 23°821012.56.2
May29° / 26°23217.313.14.4
Jun30° / 27°33820.513.43.5
Jul31° / 27°27519.713.23.5
Aug30° / 27°36321.212.83.5
Sep30° / 26°18916.712.14.1
Oct29° / 25°8011.611.55.6
Nov27° / 22°588.110.97.0
Dec24° / 19°405.610.67.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34654
44555
54456
64456
74357
84258
94159
104159
114159
123961
133961
143862
153763
163565
173466
183466
193268
203268
213070
222971
232971
242773
252773
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

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.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
242
343
443
544
644
745
845
946
1046
1147
1249
1350
1451
1553
1654
1756
1857
1959
2060
2162
2264
2365
2466
2567
2668
2768
2868
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 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
15216113
24206214
34196215
44196017
53186019
63175921
72156122
82146024
92135926
102125828
111115929
121105831
131105732
14195634
15185635
16175537
17165538
18065440
19055441
20055243
21045145
22044947
23044749
24044551
25044353
26044155
27043957
28043660
29043462
30043264
31043066

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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:316:21
212.85:316:21
312.95:306:22
412.95:296:22
512.95:296:22
612.95:286:23
712.95:276:23
813.05:276:24
913.05:266:24
1013.05:266:25
1113.05:256:25
1213.05:246:26
1313.05:246:26
1413.15:236:27
1513.15:236:27
1613.15:236:27
1713.15:226:28
1813.15:226:28
1913.15:216:29
2013.15:216:29
2113.25:216:30
2213.25:206:30
2313.25:206:31
2413.25:206:31
2513.25:196:32
2613.25:196:32
2713.25:196:33
2813.25:196:33
2913.35:186:33
3013.35:186:34
3113.35:186:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

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.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kaohsiung

In seasonPeak

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.

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

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).

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

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.

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan24Refreshing
Feb24Refreshing
Mar24Warm
Apr26Warm
May28Warm
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec25Warm

UV index in Kaohsiung in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 17UV 12Dec 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Kaohsiung 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 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).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1034 µg/m³Jun 2214 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar34Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct32Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec31Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

DonggangChaozhouTainanYongkangYujingXinyingHengchun

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.

3 km
31 m
16 km
351 m
80 km
3,241 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Fengshan 5.0 km · Donggang 22 km · Chaozhou 24 km · Tainan 43 km · Yongkang 46 km · Yujing 59 km · Xinying 77 km · Hengchun 81 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
Buddhist 35%Taoist 33%none or unspecified 18%folk religion approximately 10%

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).