Arua weather in May

In May, Arua sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 70 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Arua's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
20°
8th coldest
Rainfall
70 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:49 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Arua is City in North Western Uganda.

Founded
1914

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 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Arua reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22920
32920
42920
52920
62920
72920
82920
92920
102920
112920
122920
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192920
202920
212920
222920
232920
242920
252920
262920
272920
282920
292920
302920
312920

How May really feels in Arua

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.

Arua weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 20°102.211.85.0
Feb33° / 21°173.511.94.2
Mar32° / 21°509.9124.1
Apr30° / 20°8014.712.14.4
May29° / 20°7012.312.15.1
Jun29° / 19°8513.512.25.2
Jul28° / 19°11316.112.25.4
Aug28° / 18°13719.112.15.0
Sep28° / 19°10517.1124.9
Oct28° / 19°11820.311.94.4
Nov29° / 19°7213.811.95.1
Dec30° / 20°163.611.85.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22674
32872
42872
52971
63070
73070
83268
93268
103466
113466
123664
133862
143961
154060
164258
174357
184357
194555
204555
214654
224753
234753
244753
254951
264951
274951
284951
294951
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Arua gets around 70 mm of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
346
446
546
646
746
845
945
1044
1144
1243
1342
1442
1541
1640
1739
1839
1938
2037
2136
2235
2335
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2935
3035
3136

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 54% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
103565
203466
303466
403466
503466
603466
703466
803466
903565
1003565
1103565
1203664
1303763
1403862
1503961
1614158
1714257
1814455
1914653
2014752
2114949
2225147
2325345
2425543
2525741
2625939
2735938
2836136
2936235
3036334
3136334

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of May to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:506:57
212.16:506:57
312.16:506:57
412.16:506:57
512.16:506:56
612.16:506:56
712.16:496:56
812.16:496:56
912.16:496:56
1012.16:496:56
1112.16:496:56
1212.16:496:57
1312.16:496:57
1412.16:496:57
1512.16:496:57
1612.16:496:57
1712.16:486:57
1812.16:486:57
1912.16:486:57
2012.16:486:57
2112.16:486:57
2212.16:486:57
2312.16:486:57
2412.26:486:57
2512.26:486:58
2612.26:496:58
2712.26:496:58
2812.26:496:58
2912.26:496:58
3012.26:496:58
3112.26:496:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.65 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
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Arua

In seasonPeak

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

Arua's rainy season runs April–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Arua?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Arua in May

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

In May, Arua sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Arua 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 Arua peaks around March 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 15Jul 11UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Arua 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 Arua is worst in January — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.8× the cleanest month (April, 19 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorJan 1953 µg/m³Apr 2320 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan55Poor
Feb48Poor
Mar30Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec40Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Arua?

Arua sits at 3.0°N, 30.9°E, 1,215 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Aru, 19 km away.

KobokoYumbeNebbiPaidhaPakwachAdjumaniMoyo

Topography around Arua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arua has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m around an average of 1,196 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 511 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,444 m.

The land around Arua is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, shrubs (44%), grassland (24%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and shrubs (45%) and grassland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
124 m
16 km
511 m
80 km
1,444 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Aru 19 km · Koboko 44 km · Yumbe 62 km · Nebbi 63 km · Paidha 68 km · Pakwach 90 km · Adjumani 105 km · Moyo 115 km

Uganda travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 35% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,206
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
29.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 518
Religion
Protestant 45%Roman Catholic 39%Muslim 14%other 2%

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 Arua (3.0201°, 30.911°, elevation 1,215 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).