Sumbawanga weather in May

In May, Sumbawanga sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 30 mm of rain across 5.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sumbawanga's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sumbawanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
30 mm
5.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:01 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
50%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Sumbawanga is city located in western 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 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Sumbawanga reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42213
52213
62213
72213
82213
92213
102313
112313
122313
132313
142313
152313
162313
172313
182313
192312
202312
212312
222312
232312
242312
252312
262312
272312
282312
292312
302312
312312

Sumbawanga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 14°30428.412.43.7
Feb22° / 14°23923.612.34.0
Mar22° / 14°2792612.14.1
Apr22° / 14°16018.811.85.2
May23° / 13°305.111.67.7
Jun23° / 11°20.211.58.6
Jul23° / 11°10.211.68.7
Aug24° / 12°20.411.78.8
Sep25° / 14°81.1128.5
Oct25° / 15°405.712.27.4
Nov24° / 15°14815.612.45.7
Dec22° / 14°28226.412.54.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25347
35446
45446
55545
65743
75842
85941
96040
106040
116139
126337
136337
146436
156436
166535
176535
186634
196535
206634
216634
226832
236832
246832
256931
266931
276931
287030
297030
307030
317228

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sumbawanga gets around 30 mm of rain over 5.1 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 17% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
231
330
428
527
626
724
823
922
1021
1120
1219
1318
1417
1517
1616
1715
1815
1914
2014
2113
2212
2311
2410
259
269
278
287
296
306
315

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
137603
239592
342562
444542
547512
650492
752462
855441
958411
1060391
1163361
1265341
1367321
1470291
1572271
1674251
1777230
1878220
1980200
2082180
2183170
2285150
2387130
2488120
2590100
269190
279280
289370
299460
309550
319640

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 6:59 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:596:42
211.76:596:42
311.76:596:42
411.76:596:42
511.76:596:41
611.76:596:41
711.76:596:41
811.77:006:40
911.77:006:40
1011.77:006:40
1111.77:006:40
1211.77:006:40
1311.77:006:39
1411.67:006:39
1511.67:006:39
1611.67:016:39
1711.67:016:39
1811.67:016:39
1911.67:016:39
2011.67:016:38
2111.67:026:38
2211.67:026:38
2311.67:026:38
2411.67:026:38
2511.67:026:38
2611.67:036:38
2711.67:036:38
2811.67:036:38
2911.67:036:38
3011.67:036:38
3111.67:046:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 5.71 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sumbawanga

In seasonPeak

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

Sumbawanga sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Sumbawanga's monsoon runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Sumbawanga?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Sumbawanga for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Sumbawanga in May

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

In May, Sumbawanga sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Sumbawanga 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 Sumbawanga peaks around February 19 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 19UV 16Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Sumbawanga 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 Sumbawanga is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (May, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1223 µg/m³May 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar9Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun9Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sumbawanga?

Sumbawanga sits at 8.0°S, 31.6°E, 1,833 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Matai, 39 km away.

NamanyereLaelaMbalaMpulunguUseviaKirando

Topography around Sumbawanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sumbawanga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 126 m around an average of 1,833 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,171 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,666 m.

The land around Sumbawanga is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and cropland (34%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (32%), trees (20%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
126 m
16 km
1,171 m
80 km
1,666 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Matai 39 km · Chala 57 km · Namanyere 80 km · Laela 82 km · Mbala 101 km · Mpulungu 104 km · Usevia 105 km · Kirando 128 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 Sumbawanga (-7.9667°, 31.6167°, elevation 1,833 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). 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).