Mpongwe weather in May

In May, Mpongwe sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mpongwe's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpongwe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
14°
4th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:22 AM – 5:45 PM
Cloud cover
36%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

Mpongwe is city in Zambia.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical May day in Mpongwe reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12715
22715
32715
42715
52715
62715
72714
82714
92714
102614
112614
122614
132614
142614
152614
162614
172614
182614
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242613
252613
262613
272613
282613
292613
302613
312613

How May really feels in Mpongwe

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.

Mpongwe weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°28427.512.73.8
Feb26° / 18°23023.812.44.0
Mar27° / 18°15920.612.14.9
Apr27° / 16°315.811.77.2
May26° / 14°30.711.48.5
Jun25° / 12°00.111.29.2
Jul24° / 12°00.111.39.3
Aug27° / 14°0011.68.4
Sep31° / 17°10.411.96.2
Oct32° / 19°143.112.34.8
Nov30° / 19°10715.112.64.3
Dec27° / 18°24626.312.83.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 22%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27624
37624
47723
57723
67624
77723
87723
97723
107723
117624
127723
137723
147723
157723
167723
177822
187822
197822
207822
217921
227921
237921
248020
258020
268020
278020
288119
298119
308119
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mpongwe gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.7 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 2% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
35
44
54
64
74
83
93
103
112
122
132
142
152
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 78% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1523612
2553411
3573310
459329
561318
664297
766286
869265
971254
1072244
1175223
1276213
1378202
1479192
1581172
1683161
1783161
1884151
1985141
2086131
2187130
2287130
2388120
2488120
2588120
2689110
2789110
2890100
2990100
309190
319280

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:195:50
211.56:195:50
311.56:195:49
411.56:195:49
511.56:205:49
611.56:205:48
711.56:205:48
811.56:205:47
911.46:215:47
1011.46:215:47
1111.46:215:46
1211.46:215:46
1311.46:225:46
1411.46:225:45
1511.46:225:45
1611.46:225:45
1711.46:235:45
1811.46:235:44
1911.46:235:44
2011.36:235:44
2111.36:245:44
2211.36:245:44
2311.36:245:44
2411.36:255:43
2511.36:255:43
2611.36:255:43
2711.36:255:43
2811.36:265:43
2911.36:265:43
3011.36:265:43
3111.36:275:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.03 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mpongwe

In seasonPeak

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

Mpongwe's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Mpongwe?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mpongwe in May

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

In May, Mpongwe sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mpongwe 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 Mpongwe peaks around January 22 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 22UV 16Jun 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpongwe 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 Mpongwe is worst in August — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.4× the cleanest month (May, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModeratePoorModerateAug 1845 µg/m³May 1111 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug46Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpongwe?

Mpongwe sits at 13.5°S, 28.2°E, 1,195 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Luanshya, 50 km away.

KalulushiKapiri MposhiKitweNdolaMapaloChambishiMufulira

Topography around Mpongwe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpongwe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 50 m around an average of 1,193 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 320 m.

The land around Mpongwe is covered by cropland (45%) and grassland (31%) within 3 km, grassland (34%), trees (31%) and cropland (28%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
50 m
16 km
207 m
80 km
320 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswetland
May weather nearby: Luanshya 50 km · Kalulushi 75 km · Kapiri Mposhi 76 km · Kitwe 79 km · Ndola 80 km · Mapalo 85 km · Chambishi 98 km · Mufulira 107 km

Zambia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 30% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,318
2025
Happiness
4.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
5.2
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
20.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 573
Religion
Protestant 75%Roman Catholic 20%other 3%none 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 Mpongwe (-13.5091°, 28.155°, elevation 1,195 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).