Weather in Cape Town in May 2025
- May is usually the wettest month of the year in Cape Town;
Average weather
Average temperature in Cape Town in May
Going from a maximum of +22°C during the day to a minimum of +9°C during the night, the temperature in May averages around +19°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 23% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +20°C to +17°C.
Is Cape Town warm or cold in May?
Cape Town is typically mild in May.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +21°C to +19°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from +15°C to +13°C.
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:
Water temperature in Cape Town in May
Water in Cape Town in May is Fresh. It varies from +15°C to +18°C, with an average of +17°C. This is almost similar to the air temperature, which averages +19°C.
In May, water temperatures are average relative to the rest of the year:
Can you swim in Cape Town in May?
Climate in Cape Town in May
| April | May | June | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +21°C | +19°C | +17°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| +6°C | +6°C | -1°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +33°C | +33°C | +30°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 38 mm | 65 mm | 101 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +17°C | +17°C | +16°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 77% | 79% | 78% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1015 HPa | 1017 HPa | 1019 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 13 | 10 | 9 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | 7 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 8 | 12 | 13 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
May typically has worse weather conditions compared to April. It’s getting colder in May. From +21°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to +19°C. Prepare for more rain. Average rainfall goes from 38 mm to 65 mm. Humidity rises from 77% to 79%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during May, staying around 4 m/s. The days becoming less sunny, going from 13 sunny days in April to 10 in May.
June brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 9 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 Years
The climate in Cape Town in May has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1996 (+18°C) and the highest in 2022 (+22°C). The driest year was 2017 with only 308 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2023 with 1389 mm.
FAQ
Is May a good time to visit Cape Town?
Can you sunbathe in Cape Town in May?
Can you swim 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.