Harare weather in May

In May, Harare sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1.4 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Harare's 5th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harare's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
10th warmest
Overnight low
11°
4th coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:17 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
31%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.8
out of 10

Harare is capital and largest city of Zimbabwe.

Founded
1890

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Harare reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12412
22412
32412
42412
52412
62412
72412
82412
92411
102411
112411
122411
132411
142411
152311
162311
172311
182311
192311
202311
212311
222310
232310
242310
252310
262310
272310
282310
292310
302310
312210

Harare weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°21820.512.95.0
Feb26° / 17°1441612.65.4
Mar26° / 16°9312.512.16.4
Apr25° / 14°284.911.67.9
May23° / 11°61.411.28.8
Jun21° / 20.4118.7
Jul21° / 10.2118.7
Aug24° / 10°10.211.49.3
Sep27° / 13°30.911.98.5
Oct29° / 16°224.112.46.8
Nov28° / 17°8212.512.85.7
Dec26° / 17°17920.1135.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% 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 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28416
38416
48416
58416
68515
78515
88515
98515
108515
118515
128515
138416
148317
158317
168317
178416
188317
198317
208317
218317
228317
238317
248317
258317
268317
278317
288317
298416
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Harare gets around 6 mm of rain over 1.4 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 5% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
28
37
47
57
66
76
86
95
105
115
125
135
145
155
164
174
184
194
204
214
224
234
244
254
264
274
284
293
303
313

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
184142
285132
387121
489101
59091
69181
79370
89460
99460
109550
119550
129640
139640
149730
159730
169820
179820
189820
199820
209910
219910
229910
239910
249910
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:12 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:125:34
211.36:125:33
311.36:135:33
411.36:135:32
511.36:135:32
611.36:145:31
711.36:145:31
811.36:145:30
911.36:155:30
1011.26:155:29
1111.26:155:29
1211.26:165:28
1311.26:165:28
1411.26:165:28
1511.26:175:27
1611.26:175:27
1711.26:175:27
1811.16:185:26
1911.16:185:26
2011.16:195:26
2111.16:195:26
2211.16:195:25
2311.16:205:25
2411.16:205:25
2511.16:205:25
2611.16:215:24
2711.16:215:24
2811.06:215:24
2911.06:225:24
3011.06:225:24
3111.06:235:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.67 kWh/m² to a high of 7.02 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.07 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Harare

In seasonPeak

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

Harare's monsoon runs December–February, 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 Harare?

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

8.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Harare in May

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

In May, Harare sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Harare 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 Harare peaks around January 16 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 16UV 16Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Harare 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 Harare is worst in August — around 53 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.7× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateAug 1452 µg/m³Jan 1111 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun39Poor
Jul48Poor
Aug53Poor
Sep43Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harare?

Harare sits at 17.8°S, 31.1°E, 1,494 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Epworth, 12 km away.

BinduraMarondera

Topography around Harare

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harare has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m around an average of 1,481 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 219 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 831 m.

The land around Harare is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (28%), trees (25%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
89 m
16 km
219 m
80 km
831 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Epworth 12 km · Mount Hampden 15 km · Harare Western Suburbs 19 km · Chitungwiza 21 km · Ruwa 21 km · Norton 38 km · Bindura 65 km · Marondera 66 km

Zimbabwe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 56% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,021
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
25%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
41.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Apostolic Sect 40%Pentecostal 17%Protestant 14%none 8%

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 Harare (-17.8277°, 31.0534°, elevation 1,494 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).