Funafuti weather in May

In May, Funafuti sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 237 mm of rain across 25.6 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Funafuti's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Funafuti's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 28°; 1st warmest
Overnight low: 27°; 12th coldest
Rainfall: 237 mm; 25.6 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 36 min; 6:11 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover: 64%; 6th clearest
Wind: 16 km/h; 10th windiest
Solar energy: 4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.8; out of 10

Funafuti is capital of Tuvalu.

Density: 2,633/km²; people per km²

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

← April Funafuti year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Funafuti reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28
Avg low (°C)	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	27
2	28	27
3	28	27
4	28	27
5	28	27
6	28	27
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	26
25	28	26
26	28	26
27	28	26
28	28	26
29	28	26
30	28	26
31	28	26

How May really feels in Funafuti

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

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

Funafuti weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	28° / 27°	357	25	12.4	3.7
Feb	28° / 26°	359	22.9	12.3	3.7
Mar	28° / 26°	301	25.1	12.1	3.8
Apr	28° / 27°	250	25.6	11.8	3.7
May	28° / 27°	237	25.6	11.6	3.8
Jun	28° / 26°	205	24.3	11.5	4.0
Jul	28° / 26°	204	23.3	11.6	4.5
Aug	28° / 26°	215	23.7	11.7	4.6
Sep	28° / 26°	178	22.1	12	4.5
Oct	28° / 26°	203	22.5	12.2	4.3
Nov	28° / 26°	213	22.5	12.4	4.1
Dec	28° / 27°	293	24.8	12.5	3.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	48	48	48	48	47	47	46	46	45	44	43	43	43	43	42	43	43	43	44	44	44	45	46	46	46	48	48	48	49	48	49
Cloudier (%)	52	52	52	52	53	53	54	54	55	56	57	57	57	57	58	57	57	57	56	56	56	55	54	54	54	52	52	52	51	52	51

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	48	52
2	48	52
3	48	52
4	48	52
5	47	53
6	47	53
7	46	54
8	46	54
9	45	55
10	44	56
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	43	57
14	43	57
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	44	56
22	45	55
23	46	54
24	46	54
25	46	54
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	48	52
29	49	51
30	48	52
31	49	51

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Funafuti gets around 237 mm of rain over 25.6 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 83% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	80	80	80	80	80	81	81	82	82	83	83	84	84	84	84	84	84	84	84	84	84	83	83	83	83	83	83	83	83	82	82

	Rain chance (%)
1	80
2	80
3	80
4	80
5	80
6	81
7	81
8	82
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	84
14	84
15	84
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	84
22	83
23	83
24	83
25	83
26	83
27	83
28	83
29	83
30	82
31	82

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Oppressive (%)	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	27	27	27	28	28	29	29	29	29	30	30	29	29	29	29	28
Miserable (%)	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	74	73	73	73	72	72	71	71	71	71	70	70	71	71	71	71	72

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	26	74
4	26	74
5	26	74
6	26	74
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	26	74
15	26	74
16	27	73
17	27	73
18	27	73
19	28	72
20	28	72
21	29	71
22	29	71
23	29	71
24	29	71
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	29	71
28	29	71
29	29	71
30	29	71
31	28	72

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	16	light breeze
2	16	light breeze
3	16	light breeze
4	16	light breeze
5	16	light breeze
6	16	light breeze
7	16	light breeze
8	16	light breeze
9	16	light breeze
10	16	light breeze
11	16	light breeze
12	16	light breeze
13	16	light breeze
14	16	light breeze
15	16	light breeze
16	16	light breeze
17	16	light breeze
18	16	light breeze
19	16	light breeze
20	16	light breeze
21	17	light breeze
22	17	light breeze
23	17	light breeze
24	17	light breeze
25	17	light breeze
26	17	light breeze
27	17	light breeze
28	18	light breeze
29	18	light breeze
30	18	light breeze
31	18	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of May to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 5:47 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.5	11.5
Sunrise (AM)	6:09	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:11	6:11	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:12	6:12	6:12	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:14	6:14
Sunset (PM)	5:52	5:51	5:51	5:51	5:50	5:50	5:50	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:48	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:47

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.7	6:09	5:52
2	11.7	6:09	5:51
3	11.7	6:09	5:51
4	11.7	6:10	5:51
5	11.7	6:10	5:50
6	11.7	6:10	5:50
7	11.7	6:10	5:50
8	11.7	6:10	5:49
9	11.7	6:10	5:49
10	11.6	6:10	5:49
11	11.6	6:10	5:49
12	11.6	6:10	5:49
13	11.6	6:11	5:48
14	11.6	6:11	5:48
15	11.6	6:11	5:48
16	11.6	6:11	5:48
17	11.6	6:11	5:48
18	11.6	6:11	5:48
19	11.6	6:12	5:47
20	11.6	6:12	5:47
21	11.6	6:12	5:47
22	11.6	6:12	5:47
23	11.6	6:12	5:47
24	11.6	6:13	5:47
25	11.6	6:13	5:47
26	11.6	6:13	5:47
27	11.6	6:13	5:47
28	11.6	6:14	5:47
29	11.6	6:14	5:47
30	11.5	6:14	5:47
31	11.5	6:14	5:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 4.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.2	Bright
2	5.2	Bright
3	5.2	Bright
4	5.1	Bright
5	5.1	Bright
6	5.1	Bright
7	5.1	Bright
8	5.0	Bright
9	5.0	Bright
10	5.0	Bright
11	5.0	Bright
12	4.9	Bright
13	4.9	Bright
14	4.9	Bright
15	4.8	Bright
16	4.8	Bright
17	4.8	Bright
18	4.8	Bright
19	4.8	Bright
20	4.7	Bright
21	4.7	Bright
22	4.7	Bright
23	4.7	Bright
24	4.7	Bright
25	4.7	Bright
26	4.7	Bright
27	4.7	Bright
28	4.7	Bright
29	4.7	Bright
30	4.7	Bright
31	4.7	Bright

Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Funafuti

In seasonPeak

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

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

Cyclone

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is May a good time to visit Funafuti?

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

3.8

Sightseeing

7th-best month of the year

4.5

Beach & pool

8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Funafuti.

What to pack for Funafuti in May

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

In May, Funafuti sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Funafuti in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°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 14 km away) is warmest in November at about 30°C and coldest in August near 29°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	30	30	30	30	30	29	29	29	29	30	30	30
Comfort	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	30	Tropical
Feb	30	Tropical
Mar	30	Tropical
Apr	30	Tropical
May	30	Tropical
Jun	29	Tropical
Jul	29	Tropical
Aug	29	Tropical
Sep	29	Tropical
Oct	30	Tropical
Nov	30	Tropical
Dec	30	Tropical

UV index in Funafuti in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Funafuti peaks around February 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 10 (extreme).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	16	17	16	14	12	10	11	12	14	14	14	13
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	16	Extreme
Feb	17	Extreme
Mar	16	Extreme
Apr	14	Extreme
May	12	Extreme
Jun	10	Very high
Jul	11	Extreme
Aug	12	Extreme
Sep	14	Extreme
Oct	14	Extreme
Nov	14	Extreme
Dec	13	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Funafuti?

Funafuti sits at 8.5°S, 179.2°E, 7 m above sea level, in Tuvalu. The nearest listed city is Mata-Utu, 732 km away.

Topography around Funafuti

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Funafuti has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m.

The land around Funafuti is covered by water (96%) within 3 km, water (100%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.

3 km

5 m

water 96%

16 km

15 m

water 100%

80 km

12 m

water 100%

grasslandartificial surfaceswater

← April Funafuti year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

May weather nearby: Mata-Utu 732 km · Labasa 880 km · Lautoka 1,028 km · Nadi 1,050 km · Levuka 1,061 km · Nasinu 1,064 km · Lami 1,069 km · Suva 1,072 km

Tuvalu travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 1; Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs: Type I; 230 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 89% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $6,041; 2025
Safe drinking water: 9%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 18.3; per 100k, 2012
Income group: Upper middle; World Bank
Religion

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 Funafuti (-8.5243°, 179.1942°, elevation 7 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). 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	27
2	28	27
3	28	27
4	28	27
5	28	27
6	28	27
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	26
25	28	26
26	28	26
27	28	26
28	28	26
29	28	26
30	28	26
31	28	26

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	48	52
2	48	52
3	48	52
4	48	52
5	47	53
6	47	53
7	46	54
8	46	54
9	45	55
10	44	56
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	43	57
14	43	57
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	44	56
22	45	55
23	46	54
24	46	54
25	46	54
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	48	52
29	49	51
30	48	52
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	80
2	80
3	80
4	80
5	80
6	81
7	81
8	82
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	84
14	84
15	84
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	84
22	83
23	83
24	83
25	83
26	83
27	83
28	83
29	83
30	82
31	82

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	26	74
4	26	74
5	26	74
6	26	74
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	26	74
15	26	74
16	27	73
17	27	73
18	27	73
19	28	72
20	28	72
21	29	71
22	29	71
23	29	71
24	29	71
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	29	71
28	29	71
29	29	71
30	29	71
31	28	72

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	27
2	28	27
3	28	27
4	28	27
5	28	27
6	28	27
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	26
25	28	26
26	28	26
27	28	26
28	28	26
29	28	26
30	28	26
31	28	26

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	48	52
2	48	52
3	48	52
4	48	52
5	47	53
6	47	53
7	46	54
8	46	54
9	45	55
10	44	56
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	43	57
14	43	57
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	44	56
22	45	55
23	46	54
24	46	54
25	46	54
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	48	52
29	49	51
30	48	52
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	80
2	80
3	80
4	80
5	80
6	81
7	81
8	82
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	84
14	84
15	84
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	84
22	83
23	83
24	83
25	83
26	83
27	83
28	83
29	83
30	82
31	82

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	26	74
4	26	74
5	26	74
6	26	74
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	26	74
15	26	74
16	27	73
17	27	73
18	27	73
19	28	72
20	28	72
21	29	71
22	29	71
23	29	71
24	29	71
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	29	71
28	29	71
29	29	71
30	29	71
31	28	72

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	27
2	28	27
3	28	27
4	28	27
5	28	27
6	28	27
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	26
25	28	26
26	28	26
27	28	26
28	28	26
29	28	26
30	28	26
31	28	26

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	48	52
2	48	52
3	48	52
4	48	52
5	47	53
6	47	53
7	46	54
8	46	54
9	45	55
10	44	56
11	43	57
12	43	57
13	43	57
14	43	57
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	44	56
22	45	55
23	46	54
24	46	54
25	46	54
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	48	52
29	49	51
30	48	52
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	80
2	80
3	80
4	80
5	80
6	81
7	81
8	82
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	84
14	84
15	84
16	84
17	84
18	84
19	84
20	84
21	84
22	83
23	83
24	83
25	83
26	83
27	83
28	83
29	83
30	82
31	82

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	26	74
2	26	74
3	26	74
4	26	74
5	26	74
6	26	74
7	26	74
8	26	74
9	26	74
10	26	74
11	26	74
12	26	74
13	26	74
14	26	74
15	26	74
16	27	73
17	27	73
18	27	73
19	28	72
20	28	72
21	29	71
22	29	71
23	29	71
24	29	71
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	29	71
28	29	71
29	29	71
30	29	71
31	28	72