Ruaha weather in May

In May, Ruaha sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 78 mm of rain across 14.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ruaha's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ruaha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
19°
6th coldest
Rainfall
78 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:39 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
53%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Ruaha reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12720
22720
32720
42720
52720
62720
72720
82720
92720
102720
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162619
172619
182619
192619
202619
212619
222619
232619
242619
252619
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

How May really feels in Ruaha

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.

Ruaha weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 22°19419.912.43.6
Feb30° / 22°19418.912.33.6
Mar29° / 22°20625.912.13.6
Apr27° / 21°18124.611.84.2
May27° / 19°7814.311.76.1
Jun26° / 17°205.711.67.5
Jul26° / 17°153.911.67.7
Aug27° / 17°205.711.77.3
Sep28° / 18°143.7126.9
Oct30° / 19°396.912.25.6
Nov31° / 21°5710.612.34.5
Dec31° / 22°12516.712.43.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 35% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25545
35644
45842
55842
66040
76040
86139
96238
106337
116436
126436
136436
146535
156436
166535
176634
186634
196733
206832
216832
226931
237030
247030
257228
267327
277327
287426
297525
307624
317624

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ruaha gets around 78 mm of rain over 14.3 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 46% and peaks near 67% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
167
266
365
463
562
660
759
857
955
1053
1151
1250
1348
1446
1545
1644
1743
1841
1940
2039
2138
2237
2336
2435
2535
2634
2733
2832
2931
3029
3128

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 60% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
101167211
202177110
30218719
40219718
50319717
60320707
70321706
80423685
90424684
100425683
110527653
120528652
130630622
140631621
150632611
160733591
170735571
180736570
190837550
200838540
210939520
220940510
2301041480
2401142470
2511242450
2611343430
2711543410
2811644390
2921844370
3021944340
3132145320

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:376:21
211.76:376:21
311.76:376:21
411.76:376:20
511.76:376:20
611.76:386:20
711.76:386:20
811.76:386:19
911.76:386:19
1011.76:386:19
1111.76:386:19
1211.76:386:19
1311.76:386:18
1411.76:386:18
1511.76:396:18
1611.76:396:18
1711.66:396:18
1811.66:396:18
1911.66:396:18
2011.66:396:17
2111.66:406:17
2211.66:406:17
2311.66:406:17
2411.66:406:17
2511.66:406:17
2611.66:416:17
2711.66:416:17
2811.66:416:17
2911.66:416:17
3011.66:416:17
3111.66:426:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.55 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in November across the year — May's 4.69 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
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
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ruaha

In seasonPeak

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

Ruaha'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 Ruaha?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ruaha in May

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

In May, Ruaha sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Ruaha 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 Ruaha peaks around March 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeMar 12UV 15Jun 19UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Ruaha 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 Ruaha is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (April, 9 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodSep 1831 µg/m³Apr 229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May9Good
Jun12Good
Jul17Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ruaha?

Ruaha sits at 7.7°S, 37.0°E, 292 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Kidatu, 5.0 km away.

KilosaIlulaMorogoroKibakwe

Topography around Ruaha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ruaha has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 680 m around an average of 382 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,011 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,408 m.

The land around Ruaha is covered by trees (67%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and shrubs (25%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
680 m
16 km
2,011 m
80 km
2,408 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Kidatu 5.0 km · Kidodi 6.0 km · Mikumi 28 km · Ifakara 62 km · Kilosa 92 km · Ilula 104 km · Morogoro 119 km · Kibakwe 125 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 Ruaha (-7.6569°, 36.983°, elevation 292 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).