Weather in Cape Town in May 2024
- May is usually the wettest month of the year in Cape Town;
Average weather
Average temperature in Cape Town in May
The temperature in May is +68°F on average, with a range between a maximum of +91°F during the day and a minimum of +46°F at night.
The average maximum temperature goes down 12% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +70°F to +64°F.
Is Cape Town warm or cold in May?
Cape Town is typically mild in May.
Maximum temperatures go up compared to the previous month from +70°F to +66°F. The minimum temperature also goes up from +59°F to +55°F.
Pack a light jacket as it will be warm in the day and cool in the evenings.
Take a look at how May is compared to other months in Cape Town:
Climate in Cape Town in May
| April | May | June | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +70°F | +66°F | +63°F | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| +43°F | +43°F | +30°F | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +91°F | +91°F | +86°F | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 37 mm | 63 mm | 94 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 77% | 79% | 77% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1015 HPa | 1016 HPa | 1018 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 14 | 11 | 10 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 13 | 14 | 12 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 3 | 6 | 8 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
May typically has worse weather conditions compared to April. It’s getting colder in May. From +70°F in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to +66°F. Prepare for more rain. Average rainfall goes from 37 mm to 63 mm. Humidity rises from 77% to 79%. Winds are calmer in comparison to April, going down from 4 m/s to 3 m/s on average. The days becoming less sunny, going from 14 sunny days in April to 11 in May.
June brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 3 m/s getting up to 7 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Cape Town is gradually increasing during May, going from 4 m/s to 4 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
How was the weather last May in Cape Town?
Climate Change Over the Years
The climate in Cape Town in May has not changed that much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1993 (+66°F) and the highest in 2016 (+74°F). The driest year was 2004 with only 2 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2021 with 176 mm.
FAQ
Is May a good time to visit Cape Town?
Can you sunbathe in Cape Town in May?
Is Cape Town rainy in May?
Is it sunny in Cape Town in May?
Other cities in South Africa
Monthly weather in Cape Town
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Cape Town, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2022.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.