Matmata weather in May

In May, Matmata sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 5 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 30°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Matmata's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matmata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:24 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
30%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 30°C by the end.

A typical May day in Matmata reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12716
22716
32816
42816
52817
62817
72817
82817
92917
102917
112917
122917
132918
142918
152918
162918
172918
182918
192918
202918
212918
223018
233018
243018
253019
263019
273019
283019
293019
303019
313019

How May really feels in Matmata

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.

Matmata 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
Jan16° / 142.6106.0
Feb17° / 122.210.87.1
Mar21° / 11°172.411.78.0
Apr25° / 14°122.412.88.6
May29° / 18°51.213.77.1
Jun33° / 21°10.214.24.8
Jul36° / 24°00.1142.9
Aug36° / 24°20.613.23.0
Sep32° / 22°142.412.25.0
Oct27° / 18°172.711.27.7
Nov21° / 13°132.510.38.1
Dec17° / 1639.86.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
27921
37921
48020
58020
68020
77921
87921
97921
107822
117822
127723
137822
147723
157624
167624
177624
187624
197624
207624
217723
227723
237822
247822
257921
268020
278119
288218
298317
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Matmata gets around 5 mm of rain over 1.2 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 4% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
36
46
56
65
75
85
94
104
114
124
133
143
153
163
173
183
193
203
213
223
233
243
253
263
273
283
293
303
313

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 (%)
184151
283161
383161
482171
582171
681181
781181
880191
979192
1078202
1178202
1276213
1376213
1475214
1574224
1673225
1772235
1870246
1969256
2067267
2166277
2264288
2363298
2462299
2561309
26593110
27593110
28573211
29563311
30553312
31533413

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:386:57
213.35:376:58
313.45:366:58
413.45:356:59
513.45:347:00
613.55:337:01
713.55:327:01
813.55:317:02
913.55:307:03
1013.65:297:04
1113.65:287:05
1213.65:287:05
1313.75:277:06
1413.75:267:07
1513.75:257:08
1613.75:247:08
1713.85:247:09
1813.85:237:10
1913.85:227:11
2013.85:227:11
2113.85:217:12
2213.95:207:13
2313.95:207:13
2413.95:197:14
2513.95:197:15
2614.05:187:15
2714.05:187:16
2814.05:177:17
2914.05:177:17
3014.05:177:18
3114.05:167:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 7.77 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 7.28 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Matmata

In seasonPeak

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

Matmata sees seasonal dust haze (March–July), heaviest in April.

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

Is May a good time to visit Matmata?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
8.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Matmata in May

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

In May, Matmata sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Matmata in May

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 7 to Nov 24 — about 6.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar15Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov21Refreshing
Dec17Cool

UV index in Matmata 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 Matmata peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7High
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Matmata 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 Matmata is worst in April — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 31 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorApr 1558 µg/m³Aug 1731 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan55Unhealthy
Feb46Poor
Mar51Poor
Apr59Unhealthy
May49Poor
Jun45Poor
Jul33Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct34Moderate
Nov44Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Matmata?

Matmata sits at 33.5°N, 10.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Tunisia. The nearest listed city is Mareth, 30 km away.

RhennouchMétouiaMedenine

Topography around Matmata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matmata has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m around an average of 362 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 m.

The land around Matmata is covered by grassland (65%) and bare terrain (28%) within 3 km, bare terrain (55%) and grassland (40%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
303 m
16 km
502 m
80 km
682 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Mareth 30 km · Teboulbou 36 km · Chenini Nahal 37 km · Gabes 39 km · El Hamma 42 km · Rhennouch 45 km · Métouia 46 km · Medenine 54 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 Matmata (33.5444°, 9.9716°, elevation 0 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).