Gulu weather in May

In May, Gulu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 184 mm of rain across 24.1 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-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 15% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gulu's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gulu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
8th warmest
Overnight low
20°
8th coldest
Rainfall
184 mm
24.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:43 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
67%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Gulu is city in Uganda.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Gulu reaches about 28°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 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42820
52820
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122820
132820
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252819
262819
272819
282819
292819
302819
312819

How May really feels in Gulu

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.

Gulu weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 21°183.111.94.6
Feb33° / 21°184.111.93.9
Mar32° / 21°9812.6123.7
Apr29° / 20°1982212.13.7
May28° / 20°18424.112.14.0
Jun28° / 19°13419.412.24.9
Jul27° / 18°16022.512.14.6
Aug27° / 18°20024.712.14.4
Sep28° / 19°16320.1124.6
Oct29° / 19°1952111.94.3
Nov29° / 19°12113.911.94.8
Dec30° / 20°305.311.85.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22476
32476
42575
52674
62773
72872
82971
93169
103268
113367
123466
133565
143862
153862
164060
174060
184357
194456
204555
214654
224753
234852
244951
254951
265050
274951
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gulu gets around 184 mm of rain over 24.1 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 77% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
183
283
383
484
584
684
784
884
984
1083
1182
1281
1380
1479
1578
1677
1776
1875
1975
2074
2173
2272
2371
2471
2570
2670
2769
2869
2969
3069
3168

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 96% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1397
2397
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12397
13397
14397
15397
16397
17496
18496
19496
20496
21595
22595
23694
24694
25694
26793
27793
28892
29892
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:456:51
212.16:456:51
312.16:456:51
412.16:456:51
512.16:446:51
612.16:446:51
712.16:446:51
812.16:446:51
912.16:446:51
1012.16:446:51
1112.16:446:51
1212.16:446:51
1312.16:436:51
1412.16:436:51
1512.16:436:51
1612.16:436:51
1712.16:436:51
1812.16:436:51
1912.16:436:51
2012.16:436:51
2112.16:436:51
2212.16:436:51
2312.16:436:51
2412.16:436:52
2512.16:436:52
2612.16:436:52
2712.16:436:52
2812.16:446:52
2912.16:446:52
3012.16:446:52
3112.16:446:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Gulu?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Gulu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gulu in May

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

In May, Gulu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Gulu 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 Gulu peaks around March 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 15Jun 21UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Gulu 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 Gulu is worst in January — around 108 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.7× the cleanest month (April, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateJan 15102 µg/m³Apr 1914 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan108Unhealthy
Feb51Poor
Mar19Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec66Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Gulu?

Gulu sits at 2.8°N, 32.3°E, 1,104 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Opit, 27 km away.

AnakaKitgumAdjumaniLiraApacKiryandongo Refugee CampPakwach

Topography around Gulu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gulu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m around an average of 1,096 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 m.

The land around Gulu is covered by trees (32%), artificial surfaces (32%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (32%), cropland (29%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and cropland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
89 m
16 km
209 m
80 km
751 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
May weather nearby: Opit 27 km · Anaka 44 km · Kitgum 86 km · Adjumani 88 km · Lira 89 km · Apac 93 km · Kiryandongo Refugee Camp 94 km · Pakwach 95 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 Gulu (2.7746°, 32.299°, elevation 1,104 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).