Hilo weather in May

In May, Hilo sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 69°F, with 5.7 in of rain across 23.7 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 74°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hilo's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hilo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
7th warmest
Overnight low
69°
6th coldest
Rainfall
5.7 in
23.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:49 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Hilo is human settlement and census-designated place in Hawaii, United States.

Density
287/km²
people per km²

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 74°F through the month.

A typical May day in Hilo reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 69°F overnight — a 5°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17468
27468
37468
47469
57469
67469
77469
87469
97469
107469
117469
127469
137469
147469
157469
167469
177469
187469
197469
207569
217569
227569
237569
247569
257569
267570
277570
287570
297570
307570
317570

Hilo weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan73° / 67°5.816.810.96.0
Feb72° / 67°6.617.211.35.5
Mar72° / 67°9.123.511.94.7
Apr73° / 68°7.124.812.44.5
May74° / 69°5.723.712.94.9
Jun75° / 70°4.724.113.24.8
Jul76° / 71°5.725.813.14.6
Aug77° / 72°6.725.612.74.6
Sep77° / 72°4.52212.15.1
Oct77° / 71°5.42311.55.0
Nov75° / 70°7.523.211.14.8
Dec73° / 68°7.922.210.85.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 33% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35347
45347
55347
65446
75446
85446
95446
105545
115545
125545
135545
145644
155743
165743
175842
185842
195842
205842
215941
225941
236040
246040
256139
266238
276337
286337
296436
306436
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hilo gets around 5.7 in of rain over 23.7 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 80% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
279
379
479
578
678
777
877
977
1077
1177
1277
1377
1476
1576
1676
1776
1876
1976
2076
2176
2276
2376
2476
2576
2676
2776
2876
2976
3076
3177

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 57% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1354421
2353431
3352441
4352441
5351451
6351451
7350461
8349471
9349471
10248481
11247491
12246511
13245521
14144532
15143542
16142552
17141562
18140572
19040582
20039592
21038602
22037612
23036622
24034642
25033652
26032662
27031672
28030691
29029701
30028711
31026731

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:45 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:566:39
212.75:566:39
312.75:556:40
412.85:546:40
512.85:546:40
612.85:536:41
712.85:536:41
812.85:526:41
912.85:526:42
1012.85:516:42
1112.95:516:43
1212.95:506:43
1312.95:506:43
1412.95:496:44
1512.95:496:44
1612.95:496:45
1712.95:486:45
1813.05:486:45
1913.05:486:46
2013.05:476:46
2113.05:476:47
2213.05:476:47
2313.05:466:47
2413.05:466:48
2513.05:466:48
2613.05:466:49
2713.15:466:49
2813.15:456:49
2913.15:456:50
3013.15:456:50
3113.15:456:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.49 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Hilo

In seasonPeak

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

Hilo sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.

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

Is May a good time to visit Hilo?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hilo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hilo in May

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

In May, Hilo sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 69°F. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 24 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Hilo in May

The nearest coast averages about 77°F 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 11 mi away) is warmest in September at about 80°F and coldest in March near 75°F.

The water stays above 68°F all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

74°76°78°80°82°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan76Warm
Feb75Warm
Mar75Warm
Apr76Warm
May77Warm
Jun78Warm
Jul79Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep80Warm
Oct80Warm
Nov78Warm
Dec77Warm

UV index in Hilo in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hilo peaks around August 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighAug 15UV 14Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Hilo 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 Hilo is worst in January — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 2128 µg/m³Jul 1917 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov22Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Hilo?

Hilo sits at 19.7°N, 155.1°W, 59 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kīhei, 113 mi away.

Topography around Hilo

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Hilo.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hilo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 774 ft around an average of 197 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,606 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13,750 ft.

The land around Hilo is covered by trees (34%), water (29%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and water (29%) within 10 miles, and water (49%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
774 ft
10 miles
3,606 ft
50 miles
13,750 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kīhei 113 mi · Kahului 120 mi · Wailuku 122 mi · Lahaina 130 mi · Hawai‘i Kai 201 mi · East Honolulu 201 mi · Niu Valley 202 mi · Kuliouou - Kalani Iki 203 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Hilo (19.7299°, -155.0907°, elevation 59 ft), 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. 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).