Solwezi weather in May

In May, Solwezi sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.8 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of May to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Solwezi's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Solwezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
14°
4th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:27 AM – 5:54 PM
Cloud cover
37%
5th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Solwezi is city.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Solwezi reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12715
22715
32715
42715
52715
62715
72715
82715
92715
102714
112714
122714
132714
142714
152714
162714
172714
182714
192714
202714
212714
222614
232614
242614
252614
262614
272613
282613
292613
302613
312613

Solwezi weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°2792812.63.7
Feb26° / 17°23324.612.43.9
Mar26° / 17°20924.312.14.4
Apr26° / 16°48811.76.8
May27° / 14°30.811.48.4
Jun25° / 12°00.111.39.1
Jul25° / 11°0011.49.2
Aug28° / 14°0011.68.1
Sep31° / 17°30.811.95.9
Oct31° / 18°315.812.34.8
Nov28° / 18°16220.712.64.3
Dec26° / 17°27828.312.73.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27228
37327
47327
57525
67525
77624
87723
97723
107822
117822
127822
137822
147822
157921
167921
177921
188020
198119
208119
218119
228218
238218
248317
258317
268317
278416
288416
298416
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Solwezi gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.8 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 2% and peaks near 6% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
16
26
35
45
55
65
74
84
94
103
113
123
132
142
152
162
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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1583012
2602911
3622810
464279
567258
669247
772226
873216
975205
1078184
1179174
1281163
1382153
1484142
1585132
1686122
1788111
1888111
1989101
2089101
219091
229190
239190
249190
259190
269190
279280
289280
299370
309370
319460

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 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 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:32 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 5:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:245:59
211.66:255:58
311.66:255:58
411.56:255:58
511.56:255:57
611.56:255:57
711.56:255:57
811.56:265:56
911.56:265:56
1011.56:265:56
1111.56:265:55
1211.56:275:55
1311.56:275:55
1411.56:275:54
1511.46:275:54
1611.46:275:54
1711.46:285:54
1811.46:285:54
1911.46:285:53
2011.46:285:53
2111.46:295:53
2211.46:295:53
2311.46:295:53
2411.46:305:53
2511.46:305:52
2611.46:305:52
2711.46:305:52
2811.46:315:52
2911.46:315:52
3011.36:315:52
3111.36:325:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.78 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 5.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Solwezi

In seasonPeak

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

Solwezi's monsoon runs November–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 Solwezi?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Solwezi in May

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

In May, Solwezi sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Solwezi 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 Solwezi peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 19UV 16Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Solwezi 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 Solwezi is worst in August — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 9.6× the cleanest month (April, 9 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyPoorModerateGoodAug 1584 µg/m³Apr 129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr9Good
May11Good
Jun29Moderate
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug87Unhealthy
Sep53Poor
Oct32Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Solwezi?

Solwezi sits at 12.2°S, 26.4°E, 1,381 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Kansanshi, 9.0 km away.

ChisasaKipushiLubumbashiLikasiKamboveKasempa

Topography around Solwezi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Solwezi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 1,357 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 235 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m.

The land around Solwezi is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) within 3 km, grassland (38%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
235 m
80 km
501 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kansanshi 9.0 km · Manyama 61 km · Chisasa 97 km · Kipushi 104 km · Lubumbashi 131 km · Likasi 137 km · Kambove 146 km · Kasempa 156 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 Solwezi (-12.1688°, 26.3894°, elevation 1,381 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).