El Jem weather in May

In May, El Jem sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 14 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is El Jem's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Jem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
17°
7th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:18 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
37%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical May day in El Jem reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52516
62516
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132617
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232718
242718
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

How May really feels in El Jem

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.

El Jem weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 244.19.96.3
Feb18° / 203.810.76.7
Mar20° / 11°315.211.77.3
Apr23° / 13°214.512.98.0
May27° / 17°143.113.88.0
Jun31° / 20°61.314.36.0
Jul34° / 23°10.214.14.2
Aug34° / 24°81.313.34.0
Sep30° / 22°364.812.25.7
Oct26° / 18°325.811.17.5
Nov22° / 13°233.710.17.9
Dec18° / 10°233.89.77.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37624
47624
57624
67624
77723
87723
97624
107525
117426
127327
137327
147228
157228
167129
177129
187228
197228
207228
217327
227327
237426
247426
257624
267624
277723
287822
297822
307921
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

El Jem gets around 14 mm of rain over 3.1 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 10% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
312
412
512
611
711
811
911
1010
1110
1210
139
149
159
169
179
189
199
209
219
229
239
249
259
269
279
289
299
309
319

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1583930
2573940
3573940
4563950
5553960
6553960
7543970
8533980
9533980
10514090
115040100
124940100
134841110
144741120
154642130
164442140
174343140
184143150
194044160
203844180
213645190
223445200
233246211
243046231
252947241
262747251
272548261
282348271
292248291
302048302
311848322

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:326:57
213.45:316:57
313.55:306:58
413.55:296:59
513.55:287:00
613.65:277:01
713.65:267:02
813.65:257:02
913.75:247:03
1013.75:237:04
1113.75:227:05
1213.75:217:06
1313.85:207:06
1413.85:197:07
1513.85:197:08
1613.95:187:09
1713.95:177:10
1813.95:167:11
1913.95:167:11
2014.05:157:12
2114.05:147:13
2214.05:147:14
2314.05:137:14
2414.05:127:15
2514.15:127:16
2614.15:117:17
2714.15:117:17
2814.15:107:18
2914.15:107:19
3014.25:097:19
3114.25:097:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.04 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.6 kWh/m² to a high of 7.67 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 7.04 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for El Jem

In seasonPeak

In May, El Jem sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

El Jem sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in April.

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

Is May a good time to visit El Jem?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for El Jem in May

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

In May, El Jem sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 3 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near El Jem in May

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 38 km away) is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 22 to Nov 25 — about 6.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Bracing
Mar15Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct24Warm
Nov21Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in El Jem in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in El Jem peaks around July 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in El Jem 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 El Jem is worst in January — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1332 µg/m³Jul 1916 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan32Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec31Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is El Jem?

El Jem sits at 35.3°N, 10.7°E, 112 m above sea level, in Tunisia. The nearest listed city is Ksour Essaf, 28 km away.

Topography around El Jem

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Jem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 112 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 641 m.

The land around El Jem is covered by grassland (37%), cropland (37%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and grassland (39%) within 16 km, and water (35%) and cropland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
133 m
80 km
641 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Ksour Essaf 28 km · Zeramedine 31 km · Djemmal 36 km · Chebba 37 km · Zouila 38 km · Mahdia 39 km · Moknine 41 km · Ksar Hellal 42 km

Tunisia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,657
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
65%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 498
Religion
Muslim 99%

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 El Jem (35.3°, 10.7167°, elevation 112 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).