Victoria Falls weather in May

In May, Victoria Falls sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% 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 Victoria Falls's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Victoria Falls's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:38 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
19%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Victoria Falls is town in the province of Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe.

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 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical May day in Victoria Falls reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12815
22814
32814
42814
52814
62814
72814
82814
92814
102813
112813
122713
132713
142713
152713
162713
172713
182713
192712
202712
212712
222712
232712
242612
252612
262612
272612
282612
292612
302611
312611

How May really feels in Victoria Falls

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.

Victoria Falls weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 20°19720.5134.1
Feb29° / 20°15116.712.64.4
Mar29° / 19°8012.712.15.2
Apr29° / 16°173.511.66.9
May27° / 13°20.511.28.6
Jun25° / 10°10.210.99.4
Jul25° / 10°00119.5
Aug28° / 12°0011.48.3
Sep32° / 16°20.511.95.5
Oct34° / 20°102.912.43.8
Nov32° / 20°8013.712.83.5
Dec30° / 20°16919.813.13.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 5%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1937
2955
3955
4964
5964
6964
7964
8964
9964
10964
11964
12964
13964
14964
15964
16955
17955
18955
19955
20955
21955
22955
23955
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30964
31973

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Victoria Falls gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.5 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 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
43
53
63
73
82
92
102
112
122
131
141
151
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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1682291
2712180
3732070
4751960
5761860
6781750
7801640
8821440
9841330
10851230
11871120
12881020
1390910
1491810
1592710
1693610
1794600
1895500
1995500
2095500
2195500
2295500
2395500
2496400
2596400
2696400
2796400
2896400
2996400
3096400
3197300

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 6:33 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 5:55 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:335:55
211.36:335:54
311.36:345:54
411.36:345:53
511.36:345:52
611.36:355:52
711.36:355:51
811.36:355:51
911.26:365:51
1011.26:365:50
1111.26:365:50
1211.26:375:49
1311.26:375:49
1411.26:375:48
1511.26:385:48
1611.26:385:48
1711.16:385:47
1811.16:395:47
1911.16:395:47
2011.16:405:46
2111.16:405:46
2211.16:405:46
2311.16:415:46
2411.16:415:46
2511.16:415:45
2611.16:425:45
2711.06:425:45
2811.06:435:45
2911.06:435:45
3011.06:435:45
3111.06:445:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.7 kWh/m² to a high of 7.2 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Victoria Falls

In seasonPeak

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

Victoria Falls'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 Victoria Falls?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Victoria Falls in May

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

In May, Victoria Falls sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 13°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Victoria Falls 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 Victoria Falls peaks around January 18 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 18UV 16Jun 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Victoria Falls 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 Victoria Falls is worst in September — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.0× the cleanest month (April, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1828 µg/m³Apr 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Victoria Falls?

Victoria Falls sits at 17.9°S, 25.8°E, 961 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Livingstone, 10 km away.

KasaneHwangeKalomoMaambaChoma

Topography around Victoria Falls

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Victoria Falls has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 251 m around an average of 923 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 394 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 767 m.

The land around Victoria Falls is covered by trees (40%) and shrubs (32%) within 3 km, trees (40%) and shrubs (36%) within 16 km, and shrubs (43%), grassland (30%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
251 m
16 km
394 m
80 km
767 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Livingstone 10 km · Kasane 72 km · Hwange 85 km · Kalomo 122 km · Maamba 153 km · Sesheke 170 km · Katima Mulilo 171 km · Choma 175 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 Victoria Falls (-17.9328°, 25.8307°, elevation 961 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).