Makumbako weather in May

In May, Makumbako sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Makumbako's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Makumbako's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
9th warmest
Overnight low
16°
5th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:49 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
42%
6th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Makumbako is town in Njombe Region, Tanzania.

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 25°C through the month.

A typical May day in Makumbako reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82516
92516
102516
112516
122516
132516
142516
152516
162516
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282415
292415
302415
312415

Makumbako weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°18925.912.54.1
Feb26° / 17°14822.412.34.2
Mar26° / 18°16023.112.14.6
Apr25° / 17°499.711.86.7
May25° / 16°51.211.68.6
Jun24° / 14°0011.59.0
Jul23° / 13°0011.59.0
Aug24° / 14°0011.79.1
Sep26° / 15°10.111.98.8
Oct28° / 16°112.612.27.6
Nov29° / 17°579.112.45.9
Dec27° / 18°16320.512.54.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 31% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26931
36931
47129
57129
67228
77327
87327
97426
107525
117525
127624
137723
147822
157822
167921
177921
187921
198020
208020
218218
228218
238317
248317
258317
268515
278515
288515
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Makumbako gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.2 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 4% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
27
37
47
57
66
76
86
95
105
115
124
134
144
154
163
173
183
193
203
213
222
232
242
252
262
272
281
291
301
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1146422
2166420
3176518
4196417
5216415
6226414
7246412
8266311
9286210
1031609
1133607
1235596
1338575
1440555
1542544
1644533
1746513
1848502
1949492
2050482
2152462
2254451
2356431
2457421
2559401
2661381
2763361
2864351
2967321
3069301
3172280

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:47 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:476:29
211.76:476:28
311.76:476:28
411.76:476:28
511.76:476:27
611.76:486:27
711.76:486:27
811.66:486:26
911.66:486:26
1011.66:486:26
1111.66:486:26
1211.66:486:26
1311.66:496:25
1411.66:496:25
1511.66:496:25
1611.66:496:25
1711.66:496:25
1811.66:496:25
1911.66:506:24
2011.66:506:24
2111.66:506:24
2211.66:506:24
2311.66:506:24
2411.66:516:24
2511.66:516:24
2611.56:516:24
2711.56:516:24
2811.56:526:24
2911.56:526:24
3011.56:526:24
3111.56:526:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.28 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.28 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Makumbako

In seasonPeak

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

Makumbako's monsoon runs December–March, 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 Makumbako?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Makumbako for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Makumbako in May

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

In May, Makumbako sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Makumbako 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 Makumbako peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Makumbako 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 Makumbako is worst in October — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1620 µg/m³May 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Makumbako?

Makumbako sits at 8.8°S, 34.8°E, 1,651 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Mtwango, 19 km away.

MafingaChimalaIgurusi

Topography around Makumbako

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Makumbako has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 1,653 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 534 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,220 m.

The land around Makumbako is covered by cropland (43%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and shrubs (30%), trees (26%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
534 m
80 km
2,220 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Mtwango 19 km · Ilembula 28 km · Rujewa 52 km · Njombe 56 km · Urunda 63 km · Mafinga 79 km · Chimala 89 km · Igurusi 108 km

Tanzania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,319
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
31.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 479
Religion
Christian 63%Muslim 34%folk religion 1%

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 Makumbako (-8.85°, 34.8333°, elevation 1,651 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).