Climate averages 1991–2020
Francistown weather
in May.
A warm, very dry month: the 10th warmest and the 4th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Francistown: daytime highs average 25.1°C and nights cool to about 12.2°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 4.2 mm of rain on fewer than one day, which makes May a very dry month (the 4th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 07 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Bulawayo (159 km away). In May its highs average 23.1°C, 2.0°C cooler than Francistown, with 6.3 mm of rain.
Among the 5 cities listed in Botswana, Francistown ranks 2nd of 5 for the warmest May highs and 2nd of 5 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 5 cities is 24.8°C; Francistown is 0.3°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs fall by 2.6°C to 22.5°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 4.2 mm to 3.5 mm.
The annual picture
May in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Francistown climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29.7°C19.6°C | 19.6°C | 95 | 11.7 | 13.313 h |
| February | 29.4°C19.3°C | 19.3°C | 88 | 9.6 | 12.813 h |
| March | 28.8°C18.3°C | 18.3°C | 45 | 6.8 | 12.212 h |
| April | 27.2°C15.8°C | 15.8°C | 11 | 2.5 | 11.612 h |
| May, selected | 25.1°C12.2°C | 12.2°C | 4.2 | 0.9 | 11.111 h |
| June | 22.5°C9.5°C | 9.5°C | 3.5 | 0.5 | 10.911 h |
| July | 22.0°C8.8°C | 8.8°C | 3.5 | 0.4 | 11.011 h |
| August | 25.9°C11.4°C | 11.4°C | 0.6 | 0.1 | 11.411 h |
| September | 29.8°C15.0°C | 15.0°C | 5.5 | 1.1 | 12.012 h |
| October | 31.8°C17.7°C | 17.7°C | 15 | 3.4 | 12.613 h |
| November | 31.2°C19.1°C | 19.1°C | 55 | 9.2 | 13.113 h |
| December | 29.8°C19.4°C | 19.4°C | 96 | 12.8 | 13.413 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
May in nearby cities
- Bulawayo in MayZimbabwe · 159 kmHigh 23.1°C · Low 10.8°C · 6.3 mm rain
- Gweru in MayZimbabwe · 307 kmHigh 22.0°C · Low 10.5°C · 6.8 mm rain
- Louis Trichardt in MaySouth Africa · 323 kmHigh 23.7°C · Low 12.3°C · 10 mm rain
- Kwekwe in MayZimbabwe · 347 kmHigh 24.9°C · Low 12.2°C · 5.4 mm rain
- Polokwane in MaySouth Africa · 365 kmHigh 21.7°C · Low 10.2°C · 11 mm rain
- Thohoyandou in MaySouth Africa · 365 kmHigh 23.7°C · Low 12.7°C · 24 mm rain
- Masvingo in MayZimbabwe · 367 kmHigh 23.1°C · Low 11.2°C · 9.3 mm rain
- Mokopane in MaySouth Africa · 370 kmHigh 23.5°C · Low 11.2°C · 8.6 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Francistown) is explained once on the Francistown year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.