Climate averages 1991–2020
Queenstown weather
in May.
A mild, very 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 Queenstown: daytime highs average 20.6°C and nights cool to about 6.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 14 mm of rain on roughly 3 days, which makes May a very dry month (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 10 h 31 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Bhisho (118 km away). In May its highs average 21.8°C, 1.2°C warmer than Queenstown, with 28 mm of rain.
Among the 95 cities listed in South Africa, Queenstown ranks joint 51st of 95 for the warmest May highs and joint 8th of 95 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 95 cities is 21.0°C; Queenstown is 0.4°C cooler than that mean.
From May to June, average highs fall by 2.9°C to 17.6°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 14 mm to 12 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
Queenstown climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28.1°C15.2°C | 15.2°C | 100 | 13.9 | 14.014 h |
| February | 27.5°C15.3°C | 15.3°C | 98 | 13.4 | 13.213 h |
| March | 26.0°C13.8°C | 13.8°C | 78 | 12.3 | 12.312 h |
| April | 22.9°C10.3°C | 10.3°C | 47 | 7.7 | 11.311 h |
| May, selected | 20.6°C6.9°C | 6.9°C | 14 | 3.4 | 10.511 h |
| June | 17.6°C4.0°C | 4.0°C | 12 | 2.4 | 10.110 h |
| July | 17.7°C3.3°C | 3.3°C | 13 | 2.3 | 10.310 h |
| August | 19.9°C5.0°C | 5.0°C | 21 | 3.8 | 11.011 h |
| September | 23.4°C7.8°C | 7.8°C | 33 | 5.4 | 11.912 h |
| October | 24.7°C10.0°C | 10.0°C | 55 | 10.1 | 12.813 h |
| November | 26.1°C11.8°C | 11.8°C | 72 | 11.8 | 13.714 h |
| December | 27.7°C13.9°C | 13.9°C | 91 | 13.7 | 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
- Bhisho in MaySouth Africa · 118 kmHigh 21.8°C · Low 9.9°C · 28 mm rain
- Qonce in MaySouth Africa · 120 kmHigh 22.5°C · Low 10.6°C · 23 mm rain
- Mdantsane in MaySouth Africa · 143 kmHigh 22.4°C · Low 12.9°C · 25 mm rain
- East London in MaySouth Africa · 158 kmHigh 22.9°C · Low 15.8°C · 34 mm rain
- Grahamstown in MaySouth Africa · 160 kmHigh 21.9°C · Low 10.1°C · 22 mm rain
- Mthatha in MaySouth Africa · 184 kmHigh 21.6°C · Low 10.6°C · 27 mm rain
- Motherwell in MaySouth Africa · 243 kmHigh 22.3°C · Low 12.6°C · 23 mm rain
- Kariega in MaySouth Africa · 248 kmHigh 22.6°C · Low 12.4°C · 23 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 Queenstown) is explained once on the Queenstown year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.