Papua New Guinea weather in May

Thinking about venturing to Papua New Guinea this May and curious about the weather conditions to expect? This page holds all the key information you seek, responding to your question:

What is the weather like in Papua New Guinea in May?

May in Papua New Guinea generally has temperatures that range from warm to very warm, with precipitation levels ranging from high to heavy.

Based on our climate data spanning from 1990-2020, the average maximum temperature is warm in Mount Hagen at 23°C to very warm in Port Moresby at 30°C. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 24°C in Port Moresby and 13°C in Mount Hagen. While the given temperatures for day and night are typical, there may be days that feel warmer. Make sure you're dressed in a way that keeps you cool and comfortable.

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From high rainfall in Port Moresby with an average of 105 mm to heavy rainfall in Lae with 654 mm. The days are mostly sunny, with an average total of around 212 hours of sunshine in Port Moresby. The sunlight during this month doesn't just make the days brighter, it also seems to make everyone a bit more cheerful.

To learn more about the conditions in specific areas of Papua New Guinea in May, check out the map below. For more details on the yearly weather, visit our Papua New Guinea climate page.

Where to go in Papua New Guinea in May

Find the average weather conditions in May for the most popular destinations in Papua New Guinea on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailed information.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations in Papua New Guinea

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in Papua New Guinea?

Average weather in Port Moresby

In May Port Moresby generally has very high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 30°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 24°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Port Moresby
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
30°C 
24°C 
202 hours 
207 mm 
14 days 
poor 
30°C 
24°C 
212 hours 
105 mm 
11 days 
June   >> June
>>  
30°C 
23°C 
202 hours 
67 mm 
7 days 
Climate in Port Moresby

Average weather in Madang

In May Madang generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 30°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 25°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Madang
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
30°C 
25°C 
177 hours 
424 mm 
22 days 
poor 
30°C 
25°C 
217 hours 
283 mm 
21 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
30°C 
25°C 
219 hours 
167 mm 
19 days 
Climate in Madang

Average weather in Kokopo

In May Kokopo generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 29°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 25°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Kokopo
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
29°C 
25°C 
168 hours 
283 mm 
22 days 
poor 
29°C 
25°C 
198 hours 
213 mm 
21 days 
June   >> June
>>  
29°C 
25°C 
210 hours 
166 mm 
19 days 
Climate in Kokopo

Average weather in Lae

In May Lae generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 23°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Lae
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
28°C 
23°C 
731 mm 
22 days 
poor 
27°C 
23°C 
654 mm 
21 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
27°C 
23°C 
607 mm 
22 days 
poor 
Climate in Lae

Average weather in Mount Hagen

In May Mount Hagen generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 23°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 13°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Mount Hagen
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
23°C 
14°C 
456 mm 
24 days 
poor 
23°C 
13°C 
293 mm 
25 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
22°C 
13°C 
221 mm 
24 days 
Climate in Mount Hagen

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Papua New Guinea.

Is May the best time to visit Papua New Guinea?

Given the typically tolerable weather conditions in Port Moresby, May might be a good time to visit Papua New Guinea. It's worth noting that weather conditions might differ depending on the location you visit.

Generally speaking, the best visiting conditions can be found in July and August offering mostly perfect weather in Port Moresby. The weather in January, February, March and April, on the other hand, tends to be poor.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Papua New Guinea. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Papua New Guinea? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Papua New Guinea.

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