Samarkand weather in May

In May, Samarkand sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 55 mm of rain across 8.8 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Samarkand's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Samarkand's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
55 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:23 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
43%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Samarkand is city in southeastern Uzbekistan.

Density
5,511/km²
people per km²
Founded
~800 BCE

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical May day in Samarkand reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12311
22311
32311
42411
52411
62411
72412
82412
92512
102512
112512
122512
132512
142512
152513
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222613
232713
242713
252713
262714
272714
282814
292814
302814
312814

How May really feels in Samarkand

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.

Samarkand weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°5710.44.99.50.5
Feb / -1°7610.43.710.41.6
Mar14° / 9612.61.711.73.9
Apr20° / 9110.90.1136.2
May26° / 13°558.8014.27.2
Jun31° / 16°153.9014.75.7
Jul33° / 18°41.1014.54.7
Aug32° / 16°30.7013.65.6
Sep27° / 12°61.2012.38.4
Oct21° / 203.7010.98.0
Nov13° / 507.61.19.84.1
Dec / -2°538.92.99.21.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% 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 32%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25842
35842
45941
56040
66040
76139
86238
96337
106337
116337
126436
136535
146535
156634
166733
176832
186832
196931
207030
217129
227228
237327
247426
257525
267624
277723
287822
297921
307921
318119

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Samarkand gets around 55 mm of rain over 8.8 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 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
431
531
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1530
1630
1729
1829
1928
2028
2127
2227
2326
2426
2525
2625
2725
2824
2924
3023
3123

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176231
274251
373261
472271
571281
670291
769301
867312
966322
1066322
1165332
1265332
1365332
1465332
1565332
1666322
1766322
1866322
1966322
2066313
2166313
2266313
2367303
2467303
2567303
2667303
2765314
2865314
2965314
3063325
3163325

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:40 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 7:19 PM to 7:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:407:19
213.75:397:20
313.75:377:21
413.85:367:22
513.85:357:23
613.85:347:24
713.95:337:25
813.95:317:26
913.95:307:27
1014.05:297:28
1114.05:287:29
1214.05:277:30
1314.15:267:31
1414.15:257:32
1514.15:247:33
1614.25:237:34
1714.25:227:35
1814.25:217:36
1914.35:207:36
2014.35:207:37
2114.35:197:38
2214.45:187:39
2314.45:177:40
2414.45:177:41
2514.45:167:42
2614.55:157:43
2714.55:157:43
2814.55:147:44
2914.55:147:45
3014.55:137:46
3114.65:127:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2 kWh/m² to a high of 7.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Samarkand

In seasonPeak

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

Samarkand's rainy season runs November–May, 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 Samarkand?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Samarkand for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Samarkand in May

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

In May, Samarkand sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Samarkand in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Samarkand peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 16UV 9Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Samarkand 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 Samarkand is worst in April — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateApr 2138 µg/m³Jan 1524 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar36Poor
Apr39Poor
May38Poor
Jun32Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep35Moderate
Oct35Poor
Nov31Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Samarkand?

Samarkand sits at 39.7°N, 67.0°E, 703 m above sea level, in Uzbekistan. The nearest listed city is Juma Shahri, 27 km away.

Topography around Samarkand

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Samarkand has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 712 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,592 m.

The land around Samarkand is covered by artificial surfaces (90%) within 3 km, cropland (45%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and cropland (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
406 m
80 km
3,592 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Juma Shahri 27 km · Bulung’ur Shahri 29 km · Chelak 31 km · Urgut Shahri 37 km · Panjakent 58 km · Kitob 60 km · Kattaqo’rg’on Shahri 66 km · Shahrisabz 67 km

Uzbekistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,968
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
82%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
11.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 439
Religion
Muslim 88%Eastern Orthodox 9%other 3%

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 Samarkand (39.6546°, 66.9644°, elevation 703 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).