Mbeya weather in May

In May, Mbeya sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 33 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Mbeya's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbeya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
5th coldest
Rainfall
33 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:55 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Mbeya is city in Tanzania.

Founded
2005

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 22°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mbeya reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12214
22214
32214
42214
52214
62213
72213
82213
92213
102213
112213
122213
132213
142213
152213
162213
172213
182213
192213
202213
212213
222213
232212
242212
252212
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312212

Mbeya weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 15°42628.112.53.8
Feb23° / 15°34624.212.34.0
Mar23° / 15°40028.212.13.9
Apr22° / 14°19823.711.84.4
May22° / 13°338.211.66.9
Jun21° / 11°30.711.58.1
Jul21° / 10°10.111.58.2
Aug23° / 11°3111.78.6
Sep25° / 13°92.111.98.4
Oct26° / 15°499.712.26.9
Nov25° / 15°1791812.45.4
Dec24° / 15°37425.912.54.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 45%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34456
44654
54654
64951
74951
85050
95248
105347
115347
125446
135446
145446
155446
165545
175545
185644
195644
205743
215743
225842
235842
245941
256139
266139
276238
286337
296337
306436
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mbeya gets around 33 mm of rain over 8.2 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 27% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
248
346
444
542
640
739
837
935
1033
1132
1230
1329
1427
1526
1625
1724
1823
1922
2021
2119
2218
2317
2416
2515
2614
2713
2811
2910
309
318

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
116795
218784
320764
422744
524724
626704
729683
831663
934633
1036622
1139592
1242571
1345541
1447521
1550501
1651481
1753461
1856440
1958420
2060400
2162380
2264360
2366340
2468320
2570300
2672280
2775250
2877230
2979210
3081190
3183170

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:53 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:536:34
211.76:536:34
311.76:536:33
411.76:536:33
511.76:536:33
611.76:536:33
711.66:536:32
811.66:536:32
911.66:546:32
1011.66:546:31
1111.66:546:31
1211.66:546:31
1311.66:546:31
1411.66:546:31
1511.66:546:30
1611.66:556:30
1711.66:556:30
1811.66:556:30
1911.66:556:30
2011.66:556:30
2111.66:566:30
2211.66:566:30
2311.66:566:29
2411.66:566:29
2511.56:566:29
2611.56:576:29
2711.56:576:29
2811.56:576:29
2911.56:576:29
3011.56:586:29
3111.56:586:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.25 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
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mbeya

In seasonPeak

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

Mbeya's monsoon runs December–April, 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 Mbeya?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Mbeya for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbeya in May

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

In May, Mbeya sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Mbeya 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 Mbeya peaks around February 22 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 22UV 16Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mbeya 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 Mbeya is worst in October — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodOct 1219 µg/m³May 198 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May7Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug15Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mbeya?

Mbeya sits at 8.9°S, 33.5°E, 1,697 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Utengule, 13 km away.

Topography around Mbeya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbeya has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 534 m around an average of 1,747 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,503 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,454 m.

The land around Mbeya is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, cropland (35%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and trees (34%), cropland (33%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
534 m
16 km
1,503 m
80 km
2,454 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Utengule 13 km · Kiwira 32 km · Katumba 41 km · Igurusi 44 km · Tukuyu 45 km · Mlowo 52 km · Matundasi 53 km · Vwawa 61 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 Mbeya (-8.9°, 33.45°, elevation 1,697 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).