Mwanza weather in May

In May, Mwanza sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 88 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mwanza's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mwanza's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
21°
10th coldest
Rainfall
88 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:48 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
58%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Mwanza is Lakeside City.

Founded
1892

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mwanza reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12621
22621
32621
42621
52621
62621
72621
82621
92621
102621
112621
122621
132621
142621
152621
162621
172621
182621
192621
202621
212621
222621
232621
242621
252621
262621
272621
282621
292621
302621
312621

Mwanza weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 21°16022.312.14.9
Feb26° / 22°11315.612.15.5
Mar26° / 22°18119.3125.2
Apr26° / 21°1962011.94.9
May26° / 21°8812.711.96.3
Jun26° / 21°336.211.97.3
Jul26° / 20°122.711.98.0
Aug26° / 21°538.411.97.2
Sep26° / 21°10415.4125.9
Oct25° / 21°21124.412.14.5
Nov25° / 21°2662612.14.2
Dec25° / 21°22425.712.14.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33565
43565
53763
63862
73961
84159
94357
104456
114654
124753
134951
145050
155347
165446
175545
185644
195644
205743
215842
225941
236139
246238
256337
266337
276436
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mwanza gets around 88 mm of rain over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
259
358
457
557
656
755
854
953
1051
1150
1248
1346
1444
1542
1640
1739
1837
1935
2034
2132
2231
2329
2428
2527
2626
2726
2826
2926
3026
3126

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 29% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1024850
2024948
3035047
4035146
5035344
6045343
7045442
8055540
9055639
10065737
11075835
12095734
130105832
140115930
150135928
160146026
170156025
180175924
191185922
201205821
211215820
221235719
231255618
242265418
252285317
262295217
273314917
283324817
294334617
304344418
315354218

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of May to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:48 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:486:43
211.96:486:43
311.96:486:43
411.96:486:42
511.96:486:42
611.96:486:42
711.96:486:42
811.96:486:42
911.96:486:42
1011.96:486:42
1111.96:486:42
1211.96:486:41
1311.96:486:41
1411.96:486:41
1511.96:486:41
1611.96:486:41
1711.96:486:41
1811.96:486:41
1911.96:486:41
2011.96:486:41
2111.96:486:41
2211.96:496:41
2311.96:496:41
2411.96:496:41
2511.96:496:41
2611.96:496:41
2711.96:496:41
2811.96:496:42
2911.96:496:42
3011.96:506:42
3111.96:506:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.63 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mwanza

In seasonPeak

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

Mwanza's rainy season runs October–January, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Mwanza?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Mwanza for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mwanza in May

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

In May, Mwanza sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mwanza in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mwanza peaks around March 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Mwanza 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 Mwanza is worst in January — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJan 2117 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May10Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mwanza?

Mwanza sits at 2.5°S, 32.9°E, 1,144 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Kisesa, 15 km away.

Topography around Mwanza

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mwanza has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 m around an average of 1,180 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 m.

The land around Mwanza is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and water (31%) within 3 km, water (37%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (43%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
184 m
16 km
211 m
80 km
502 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kisesa 15 km · Usagara 22 km · Sengerema 32 km · Misungwi 42 km · Nansio 46 km · Kihangara 51 km · Muriti 59 km · Magu 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 Mwanza (-2.5167°, 32.9°, elevation 1,144 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).