El Marsa weather in May

In May, El Marsa sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of May to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is El Marsa's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Marsa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
7th warmest
Overnight low
17°
6th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
6:10 AM – 7:30 PM
Cloud cover
28%
5th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

El Marsa is port city in Western Sahara.

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 22°C through the month.

A typical May day in El Marsa reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 24°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)
12117
22117
32117
42117
52117
62117
72117
82217
92217
102217
112217
122217
132217
142217
152217
162217
172217
182217
192217
202218
212218
222218
232218
242218
252218
262218
272218
282218
292218
302218
312218

El Marsa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 14°71.410.58.1
Feb21° / 15°71.4118.2
Mar21° / 16°6111.88.4
Apr21° / 16°10.212.68.5
May22° / 17°00.113.38.7
Jun23° / 19°0013.79.2
Jul24° / 20°0013.59.5
Aug25° / 20°00139.3
Sep25° / 20°30.512.29.1
Oct25° / 19°6111.48.9
Nov23° / 17°61.110.78.7
Dec21° / 15°91.410.38.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28317
38416
48416
58416
68416
78515
88614
98614
108614
118614
128614
138614
148614
158614
168713
178812
188812
198812
208812
218812
228911
238911
248911
25919
26919
27919
28928
29928
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

El Marsa 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 1% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 52% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12856160
22756170
32656180
42655190
52555200
62455210
72454220
82354230
92254240
102153260
112053270
121953280
131853290
141753300
151653310
161553320
171453330
181353340
191253350
201153360
211053370
22953380
23853390
24752410
25751420
26650440
27649450
28547470
29546491
30445501
31444511

Wind in May

Winds average 24 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 24 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2524breezy
2624breezy
2724breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3024breezy
3124breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:20 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 7:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.06:207:21
213.06:207:22
313.16:197:22
413.16:187:23
513.16:177:24
613.16:167:24
713.16:167:25
813.26:157:25
913.26:147:26
1013.26:147:26
1113.26:137:27
1213.36:127:28
1313.36:127:28
1413.36:117:29
1513.36:117:29
1613.36:107:30
1713.46:097:30
1813.46:097:31
1913.46:087:32
2013.46:087:32
2113.46:077:33
2213.46:077:33
2313.56:077:34
2413.56:067:34
2513.56:067:35
2613.56:057:35
2713.56:057:36
2813.56:057:37
2913.56:057:37
3013.66:047:38
3113.66:047:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.72 kWh/m² to a high of 7.53 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.43 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for El Marsa

In seasonPeak

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

El Marsa sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is May a good time to visit El Marsa?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for El Marsa in May

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

In May, El Marsa sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near El Marsa in May

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in October at about 21°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 4 to Nov 19 — about 3.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May19Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in El Marsa 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 El Marsa peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 17UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in El Marsa 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 El Marsa is worst in December — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 2228 µg/m³Jun 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul11Good
Aug12Good
Sep9Good
Oct12Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is El Marsa?

El Marsa sits at 27.1°N, 13.4°W, 4 m above sea level, in Western Sahara. The nearest listed city is Laayoune, 23 km away.

BoujdourSmara

Topography around El Marsa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Marsa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 74 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 264 m.

The land around El Marsa is covered by bare terrain (50%) and water (41%) within 3 km, bare terrain (51%) and water (48%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (68%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
74 m
80 km
264 m
artificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Laayoune 23 km · Boujdour 151 km · Pájara 155 km · Puerto del Rosario 162 km · La Oliva 176 km · Smara 177 km · Puerto del Carmen 205 km · Arrecife 208 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for El Marsa (27.0961°, -13.4158°, elevation 4 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. 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).