Ashgabat weather in May

In May, Ashgabat sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 23 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ashgabat's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashgabat's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
23 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
6:01 AM – 8:04 PM
Cloud cover
41%
7th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Ashgabat is capital city of Turkmenistan.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 22.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ashgabat reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 6°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12615
22715
32716
42716
52716
62816
72816
82817
92817
102817
112917
122917
132917
142918
152918
163018
173018
183018
193018
203018
213119
223119
233119
243119
253219
263219
273220
283220
293220
303320
313320

How May really feels in Ashgabat

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 5 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
5
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Ashgabat weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 306.22.59.72.2
Feb11° / 438.12.710.53.0
Mar17° / 6110.20.811.75.4
Apr23° / 12°4680137.1
May30° / 18°234.40146.0
Jun35° / 23°41.3014.63.2
Jul37° / 25°20.3014.41.8
Aug36° / 24°20.3013.52.7
Sep31° / 19°30.6012.36.1
Oct24° / 12°102.70118.6
Nov16° / 2550.59.95.6
Dec10° / 225.11.49.42.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% 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 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35941
45941
55941
66040
75941
86040
96139
106238
116337
126436
136535
146634
156733
166832
177030
187030
197228
207327
217426
227624
237624
247822
257822
268020
278119
288119
298218
308317
318416

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ashgabat gets around 23 mm of rain over 4.4 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 15% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
322
422
522
621
721
820
920
1019
1119
1218
1317
1417
1516
1615
1714
1813
1913
2012
2111
2210
239
249
258
267
277
286
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 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176231
274242
372262
471272
569283
668293
768293
866304
966304
1065314
1165314
1266304
1366304
1467294
1566295
1666295
1767285
1867285
1967285
2068275
2169274
2269274
2369274
2469274
2568284
2668284
2768284
2867294
2967294
3067294
3167294

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 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 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 6:17 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 7:50 PM to 8:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.66:177:50
213.66:167:51
313.66:157:52
413.76:147:53
513.76:127:54
613.76:117:55
713.86:107:56
813.86:097:57
913.86:087:58
1013.96:077:59
1113.96:068:00
1213.96:058:00
1314.06:048:01
1414.06:038:02
1514.06:028:03
1614.06:018:04
1714.16:018:05
1814.16:008:06
1914.15:598:07
2014.25:588:07
2114.25:578:08
2214.25:578:09
2314.25:568:10
2414.35:558:11
2514.35:558:12
2614.35:548:12
2714.35:548:13
2814.35:538:14
2914.45:528:15
3014.45:528:15
3114.45:528:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.45 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ashgabat

In seasonPeak

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

Ashgabat sees seasonal dust haze (April–September), heaviest in July.

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

Is May a good time to visit Ashgabat?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ashgabat in May

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

In May, Ashgabat sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Ashgabat 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 Ashgabat peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 9Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Ashgabat 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 Ashgabat is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Ashgabat's WHO annual average of 22.1 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1628 µg/m³Jan 1014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Ashgabat?

Ashgabat sits at 38.0°N, 58.4°E, 219 m above sea level, in Turkmenistan. The nearest listed city is Änew, 14 km away.

ShīrvānDargazQūchānBäherden

Topography around Ashgabat

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashgabat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m around an average of 225 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 875 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,887 m.

The land around Ashgabat is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and bare terrain (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
108 m
16 km
875 m
80 km
2,887 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Änew 14 km · Abadan 20 km · Arkadag 31 km · Gökdepe 44 km · Shīrvān 73 km · Dargaz 85 km · Qūchān 95 km · Bäherden 99 km

Turkmenistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type B / C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 0% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,540
2025
Happiness
5.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2021
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
13.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 456
Religion
Muslim 93%Christian 6%

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 Ashgabat (37.95°, 58.3833°, elevation 219 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).