Climate averages 1991–2020
Kigali weather
in May.
A warm, moderately wet month: the coolest and the 7th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Kigali: daytime highs average 23.9°C and nights cool to about 14.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the coolest month of the year.
Expect about 83 mm of rain on roughly 16 days, which makes May a moderately wet month (the 7th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 02 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Gitarama (36 km away). In May its highs average 22.0°C, 1.9°C cooler than Kigali, with 78 mm of rain.
Among the 5 cities listed in Rwanda, Kigali ranks 2nd of 5 for the warmest May highs and 4th of 5 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 5 cities is 23.2°C; Kigali is 0.7°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 0.4°C to 24.2°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 83 mm to 14 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
Kigali climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25.0°C14.5°C | 14.5°C | 77 | 15.4 | 12.212 h |
| February | 25.7°C14.8°C | 14.8°C | 79 | 14.7 | 12.212 h |
| March | 25.1°C14.7°C | 14.7°C | 105 | 21.0 | 12.112 h |
| April | 24.0°C15.0°C | 15.0°C | 137 | 24.0 | 12.112 h |
| May, selected | 23.9°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 83 | 15.9 | 12.012 h |
| June | 24.2°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 14 | 2.7 | 12.012 h |
| July | 25.2°C15.1°C | 15.1°C | 4.4 | 0.8 | 12.012 h |
| August | 25.9°C15.4°C | 15.4°C | 24 | 4.0 | 12.112 h |
| September | 25.7°C15.0°C | 15.0°C | 54 | 10.3 | 12.112 h |
| October | 24.9°C14.7°C | 14.7°C | 117 | 18.6 | 12.212 h |
| November | 24.2°C14.1°C | 14.1°C | 130 | 22.5 | 12.212 h |
| December | 24.4°C14.1°C | 14.1°C | 92 | 18.2 | 12.212 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
- Gitarama in MayRwanda · 36 kmHigh 22.0°C · Low 12.9°C · 78 mm rain
- Muhanga in MayRwanda · 40 kmHigh 22.2°C · Low 14.2°C · 78 mm rain
- Musanze in MayRwanda · 69 kmHigh 22.1°C · Low 15.4°C · 118 mm rain
- Nyagatare in MayRwanda · 78 kmHigh 25.8°C · Low 16.2°C · 79 mm rain
- Rutshuru in MayDemocratic Republic of the Congo · 109 kmHigh 25.6°C · Low 16.1°C · 139 mm rain
- Bukavu in MayDemocratic Republic of the Congo · 148 kmHigh 24.3°C · Low 16.0°C · 93 mm rain
- Rutoma in MayUganda · 158 kmHigh 24.7°C · Low 16.7°C · 117 mm rain
- Mbarara in MayUganda · 163 kmHigh 25.2°C · Low 16.0°C · 65 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 Kigali) is explained once on the Kigali year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.