Taipei weather in May

In May, Taipei sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 200 mm of rain across 19.8 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Taipei's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Taipei's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
21°
8th coldest
Rainfall
200 mm
19.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:14 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Taipei is special municipality and capital city of Taiwan.

Density
28,962/km²
people per km²
Founded
1709

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical May day in Taipei reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12619
22619
32619
42619
52620
62720
72720
82720
92720
102720
112720
122720
132720
142721
152721
162721
172721
182721
192721
202721
212821
222821
232821
242821
252822
262822
272822
282822
292822
302822
312822

How May really feels in Taipei

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

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Taipei weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 12°8714.110.64.8
Feb18° / 12°951211.15.2
Mar21° / 14°10513.911.85.6
Apr24° / 17°13216.312.65.6
May27° / 21°20019.813.24.9
Jun30° / 23°24120.913.53.6
Jul31° / 25°22619.113.43.3
Aug31° / 25°30220.812.93.4
Sep29° / 23°25816.912.24.6
Oct25° / 20°21316.511.45.7
Nov22° / 17°13715.510.85.7
Dec19° / 14°1081510.55.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32872
42971
52971
62971
72971
82872
92872
102872
112773
122773
132674
142674
152674
162476
172476
182476
192476
202377
212476
222377
232377
242278
252278
262278
272278
282179
292179
302179
312080

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Taipei gets around 200 mm of rain over 19.8 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 63% 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 (%)
160
260
360
460
560
660
760
860
960
1060
1160
1261
1361
1461
1561
1662
1762
1863
1964
2064
2165
2266
2366
2467
2567
2667
2767
2868
2968
3068
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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 79% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14102142220
24102141240
3492140250
4392140270
5382139290
6282039310
7272038330
8271938350
9271837360
10161836380
11161736401
12151735411
13151635431
14141634441
15041534461
16041434471
17041333481
18031333501
19031232512
20031131532
21031131532
22031130533
23031029553
24031028563
25031027573
26031026574
2703925594
2803925594
2903824614
3003823615
3102722645

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 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
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 24 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 5:23 AM to 5:08 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:236:19
212.95:236:19
313.05:226:20
413.05:216:20
513.05:206:21
613.05:206:21
713.05:196:22
813.15:186:22
913.15:186:23
1013.15:176:23
1113.15:166:24
1213.15:166:25
1313.25:156:25
1413.25:156:26
1513.25:146:26
1613.25:146:27
1713.25:136:27
1813.25:136:28
1913.35:126:28
2013.35:126:29
2113.35:116:29
2213.35:116:30
2313.35:116:30
2413.35:106:31
2513.45:106:31
2613.45:106:32
2713.45:096:32
2813.45:096:33
2913.45:096:33
3013.45:096:34
3113.45:086:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 5.66 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 4.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Taipei

In seasonPeak

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

Taipei sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

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

Is May a good time to visit Taipei?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Taipei for sightseeing.

What to pack for Taipei in May

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

In May, Taipei sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Taipei in May

The nearest coast averages about 26°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 17 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 19 to Dec 24 — about 9.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar20Cool
Apr23Refreshing
May26Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Taipei in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Taipei peaks around June 18 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highVery highHighJun 18UV 11Dec 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov7High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Taipei 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 Taipei is worst in April — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 25 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateApr 1052 µg/m³Oct 1626 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan38Poor
Feb43Poor
Mar51Poor
Apr52Poor
May44Poor
Jun41Poor
Jul32Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec32Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Taipei?

Taipei sits at 25.1°N, 121.5°E, 5 m above sea level, in Taiwan. The nearest listed city is Neihu, 7.0 km away.

Yingge

Topography around Taipei

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Taipei has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 96 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,105 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,839 m.

The land around Taipei is covered by artificial surfaces (78%) within 3 km, trees (65%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 16 km, and water (55%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
96 m
16 km
1,105 m
80 km
3,839 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Neihu 7.0 km · New Taipei City 7.0 km · Banqiao 7.0 km · Shulin 13 km · Xizhi 14 km · Danshui 16 km · Sanxia 20 km · Yingge 21 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 Taipei (25.0531°, 121.5264°, elevation 5 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).