Climate averages 1991–2020
Mthatha weather
in May.
A mild, fairly dry month: the 9th warmest and the 3rd driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a mild month in Mthatha: daytime highs average 21.6°C and nights cool to about 10.6°C. By daytime temperature it is the 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 27 mm of rain on roughly 5 days, which makes May a fairly dry month (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 10 h 32 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Mdantsane (177 km away). In May its highs average 22.4°C, 0.8°C warmer than Mthatha, with 25 mm of rain.
Among the 95 cities listed in South Africa, Mthatha ranks joint 31st of 95 for the warmest May highs and 77th of 95 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 95 cities is 21.0°C; Mthatha is 0.7°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs fall by 1.8°C to 19.8°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 27 mm to 24 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
Mthatha climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24.9°C16.2°C | 16.2°C | 145 | 18.7 | 13.914 h |
| February | 25.2°C16.7°C | 16.7°C | 131 | 16.0 | 13.213 h |
| March | 24.4°C15.6°C | 15.6°C | 120 | 16.1 | 12.312 h |
| April | 22.7°C13.1°C | 13.1°C | 76 | 9.8 | 11.311 h |
| May, selected | 21.6°C10.6°C | 10.6°C | 27 | 5.0 | 10.511 h |
| June | 19.8°C7.6°C | 7.6°C | 24 | 3.3 | 10.110 h |
| July | 20.0°C7.2°C | 7.2°C | 22 | 3.2 | 10.310 h |
| August | 21.2°C8.6°C | 8.6°C | 32 | 5.5 | 11.011 h |
| September | 22.4°C10.2°C | 10.2°C | 56 | 8.4 | 11.912 h |
| October | 22.2°C11.7°C | 11.7°C | 96 | 14.9 | 12.813 h |
| November | 22.9°C13.1°C | 13.1°C | 129 | 16.4 | 13.714 h |
| December | 24.0°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 140 | 18.5 | 14.214 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
- Mdantsane in MaySouth Africa · 177 kmHigh 22.4°C · Low 12.9°C · 25 mm rain
- East London in MaySouth Africa · 179 kmHigh 22.9°C · Low 15.8°C · 34 mm rain
- Queenstown in MaySouth Africa · 184 kmHigh 20.6°C · Low 6.9°C · 14 mm rain
- Bhisho in MaySouth Africa · 188 kmHigh 21.8°C · Low 9.9°C · 28 mm rain
- Qonce in MaySouth Africa · 194 kmHigh 22.5°C · Low 10.6°C · 23 mm rain
- Mpumalanga in MaySouth Africa · 265 kmHigh 22.4°C · Low 10.4°C · 33 mm rain
- Pietermaritzburg in MaySouth Africa · 268 kmHigh 22.6°C · Low 10.1°C · 29 mm rain
- Pinetown in MaySouth Africa · 281 kmHigh 22.8°C · Low 13.6°C · 43 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 Mthatha) is explained once on the Mthatha year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.