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Western Cape weather in May

Thinking about venturing to Western Cape 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 Western Cape in May?

Western Cape is a region in South Africa. May in Western Cape generally has temperatures that range from pleasant to warm, with precipitation levels ranging from low to moderate.

The average maximum daytime temperatures vary from pleasant in Paternoster at 18°C to warm in Piketberg at 23°C. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 9°C in Piketberg and 14°C in Paternoster.

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From low rainfall in Beaufort West with an average of 18 mm to moderate rainfall in Paarl with 99 mm. The days are mostly sunny, with an average total of around 205 hours of sunshine in Cape Town. 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 Western Cape in May, check out the map below. For more details on the yearly weather, visit our Western Cape climate page.

Where to go in Western Cape in May

Find the average weather conditions in May for the most popular destinations in Western Cape 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 Western Cape

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in Western Cape?

Average weather in Cape Town

In May Cape Town generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 12°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Cape Town
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
<<  
22°C 
14°C 
234 hours 
52 mm 
8 days 
20°C 
12°C 
205 hours 
80 mm 
11 days 
June   >> June
>>  
18°C 
11°C 
175 hours 
126 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Cape Town

Average weather in Knysna

In May Knysna generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 13°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Knysna
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
<<  
22°C 
15°C 
262 hours 
56 mm 
9 days 
20°C 
13°C 
261 hours 
50 mm 
9 days 
June   >> June
>>  
19°C 
11°C 
239 hours 
49 mm 
9 days 
Climate in Knysna

Average weather in Stellenbosch

In May Stellenbosch generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 10°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Stellenbosch
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
<<  
24°C 
13°C 
234 hours 
61 mm 
8 days 
20°C 
10°C 
205 hours 
92 mm 
11 days 
June   >> June
>>  
18°C 
8°C 
175 hours 
141 mm 
12 days 
Climate in Stellenbosch

Average weather in Hermanus

In May Hermanus generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 13°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Hermanus
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
<<  
22°C 
15°C 
50 mm 
9 days 
20°C 
13°C 
58 mm 
11 days 
June   >> June
>>  
18°C 
11°C 
92 mm 
12 days 
Climate in Hermanus

Average weather in Plettenberg Bay

In May Plettenberg Bay generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 14°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Plettenberg Bay
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
<<  
22°C 
15°C 
262 hours 
54 mm 
9 days 
20°C 
14°C 
261 hours 
51 mm 
8 days 
June   >> June
>>  
19°C 
12°C 
239 hours 
53 mm 
9 days 
Climate in Plettenberg Bay

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Western Cape, in South Africa.

Is May the best time to visit Western Cape?

We consider May to be one of the best times to travel to Western Cape. Typically, the climate in Cape Town is perfect. 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 January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December offering mostly perfect weather in Cape Town. On the other hand, the month of July tends to have unpleasant weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Western Cape. 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 South Africa? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in South Africa.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal climate conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.