Dakhla weather in May

In May, Dakhla sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dakhla's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dakhla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
8th warmest
Overnight low
18°
6th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
6:26 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
23%
6th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Dakhla is city in Western Sahara.

Founded
1884

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 20°C through the month.

A typical May day in Dakhla reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C cooler than June.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11918
21918
31918
41918
51918
61918
71918
81918
91918
101918
111918
121918
132018
142018
152018
162018
172018
182018
192018
202018
212018
222018
232018
242018
252018
262018
272018
282018
292018
302018
312018

Dakhla weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 16°40.710.78.1
Feb19° / 16°20.511.28.1
Mar19° / 17°30.311.88.3
Apr19° / 17°10.112.58.2
May20° / 18°00.113.18.3
Jun20° / 19°00.113.48.8
Jul21° / 20°0013.38.9
Aug22° / 21°10.212.89.1
Sep22° / 21°60.512.19.0
Oct22° / 21°30.411.48.7
Nov21° / 19°20.210.98.5
Dec20° / 17°50.510.68.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28515
38614
48614
58614
68614
78713
88713
98713
108713
118614
128713
138713
148713
158713
168713
178713
188713
198812
208812
218713
228911
238911
248911
258911
268911
279010
28919
29919
30919
31919

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dakhla gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
241
251
261
271
280
290
300
310

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 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1352441
2350461
3349471
4348471
5348481
6347491
7347501
8246511
9246511
10245521
11244531
12144541
13143551
14142561
15141571
16140581
17139591
18038611
19037621
20035641
21034651
22032671
23031681
24029692
25027712
26025732
27023752
28022753
29020773
30018793
31017794

Wind in May

Winds average 28 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 28 km/h on the calmest days to 29 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
128breezy
228breezy
328breezy
428breezy
528breezy
628breezy
728breezy
828breezy
928breezy
1028breezy
1128breezy
1228breezy
1328breezy
1429breezy
1529breezy
1629breezy
1729breezy
1829breezy
1929breezy
2029breezy
2129breezy
2229breezy
2329breezy
2429breezy
2529breezy
2629breezy
2729breezy
2829breezy
2929breezy
3029breezy
3129breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of May to 13 h 18 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 6:35 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 7:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.96:357:27
212.96:347:28
312.96:347:28
412.96:337:28
512.96:327:29
613.06:327:29
713.06:317:30
813.06:307:30
913.06:307:31
1013.06:297:31
1113.16:287:32
1213.16:287:32
1313.16:277:33
1413.16:277:33
1513.16:267:34
1613.16:267:34
1713.26:257:35
1813.26:257:35
1913.26:257:36
2013.26:247:36
2113.26:247:37
2213.26:237:37
2313.26:237:38
2413.36:237:38
2513.36:227:39
2613.36:227:39
2713.36:227:40
2813.36:227:40
2913.36:217:41
3013.36:217:41
3113.36:217:41

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.21 kWh/m² to a high of 7.62 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.6Intense
127.6Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.6Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.6Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
237.7Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Dakhla

In seasonPeak

None of Dakhla's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Dakhla sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Dakhla sees seasonal dust haze (June–October), heaviest in July.

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

Is May a good time to visit Dakhla?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Dakhla for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Dakhla in May

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

In May, Dakhla sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection and a windbreaker.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Dakhla in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°C 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 18 km away) is warmest in October at about 21°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Nov 2 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Dakhla in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dakhla peaks around August 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateAug 22UV 10Dec 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb7Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Dakhla 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 Dakhla is worst in December — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 16 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2448 µg/m³May 1016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan47Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar31Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec48Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Dakhla?

Dakhla sits at 23.7°N, 16.0°W, 6 m above sea level, in Western Sahara. The nearest listed city is Boujdour, 310 km away.

BoujdourNouadhibouZouératPlaya del InglesMaspalomasEl MarsaAtarMogán

Topography around Dakhla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dakhla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 252 m.

The land around Dakhla is covered by water (49%) and bare terrain (32%) within 3 km, water (84%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (58%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
15 m
16 km
57 m
80 km
252 m
artificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Boujdour 310 km · Nouadhibou 325 km · Zouérat 372 km · Playa del Ingles 454 km · Maspalomas 455 km · El Marsa 457 km · Atar 462 km · Mogán 467 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Dakhla (23.6848°, -15.958°, elevation 6 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. 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).