Kapchorwa weather in May

In May, Kapchorwa sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 240 mm of rain across 25.9 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-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 18% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kapchorwa's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kapchorwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
9th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
240 mm
25.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:37 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
65%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Kapchorwa is town in Eastern Uganda, 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 Kapchorwa reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12819
22819
32819
42819
52819
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122819
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182818
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

How May really feels in Kapchorwa

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.

Kapchorwa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°275.911.94.9
Feb32° / 19°225.1124.4
Mar32° / 19°7913123.9
Apr29° / 19°19824.1123.5
May28° / 18°24025.912.14.1
Jun27° / 18°14021.912.14.6
Jul27° / 17°19022.612.14.6
Aug27° / 17°20325.3124.3
Sep28° / 17°13522.4124.4
Oct28° / 18°21426.2123.8
Nov28° / 18°14821.711.94.1
Dec30° / 18°5011.411.95.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% 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 (%)
12377
22377
32377
42476
52575
62575
72773
82872
92971
103169
113466
123565
133664
143763
154060
164159
174258
184555
194654
204753
214852
224951
235050
245149
255248
265248
275347
285347
295347
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kapchorwa gets around 240 mm of rain over 25.9 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 84% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
293
393
493
592
692
791
891
990
1089
1188
1287
1386
1485
1584
1683
1782
1881
1980
2079
2178
2277
2377
2476
2576
2676
2776
2876
2976
3076
3176

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid 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 (%)Muggy (%)
1722692
2621703
3620713
4619723
5518743
6517753
7517753
8516763
9516763
10517753
11517753
12518743
13518743
14619723
15619732
16720712
17721702
18822682
19922672
20923662
211025632
221026622
231126621
241227601
251228591
261328581
271328581
281329571
291329571
301330561
311330561

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours 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 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:386:41
212.06:386:41
312.16:386:41
412.16:376:41
512.16:376:41
612.16:376:40
712.16:376:40
812.16:376:40
912.16:376:40
1012.16:376:40
1112.16:376:40
1212.16:376:40
1312.16:376:40
1412.16:376:40
1512.16:376:40
1612.16:376:40
1712.16:376:40
1812.16:376:40
1912.16:376:40
2012.16:376:41
2112.16:376:41
2212.16:376:41
2312.16:376:41
2412.16:376:41
2512.16:376:41
2612.16:376:41
2712.16:376:41
2812.16:376:41
2912.16:376:42
3012.16:376:42
3112.16:376:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 kWh/m² in February across the year — May's 5.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kapchorwa?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kapchorwa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kapchorwa in May

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

In May, Kapchorwa sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kapchorwa 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 Kapchorwa peaks around March 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 16Jun 20UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Kapchorwa 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 Kapchorwa is worst in January — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorModeratePoorJan 1542 µg/m³Apr 1832 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar36Poor
Apr32Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun40Poor
Jul39Poor
Aug35Moderate
Sep35Moderate
Oct36Poor
Nov37Poor
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kapchorwa?

Kapchorwa sits at 1.4°N, 34.5°E, 1,915 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Sironko, 29 km away.

NakalokeMbaleManafwaKumiBudakaMakutano

Topography around Kapchorwa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kapchorwa has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 m around an average of 1,858 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,073 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,257 m.

The land around Kapchorwa is covered by shrubs (41%) and cropland (31%) within 3 km, cropland (32%), trees (25%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (31%), cropland (26%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
837 m
16 km
2,073 m
80 km
3,257 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Sironko 29 km · Budadiri 31 km · Nakaloke 44 km · Mbale 47 km · Manafwa 54 km · Kumi 58 km · Budaka 73 km · Makutano 73 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 Kapchorwa (1.401°, 34.4504°, elevation 1,915 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).