May is one of the cooler months of the year in Bowen, with average highs near 26.6°C and lows around 20.5°C (mean 23.6°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 47 mm of rainfall and 73% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Bowen. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Bowen was 2016 — when the month averaged 25.3°C — while the coldest was 2011 at 21.2°C. Typical May days reach 26.6°C with nights near 20.5°C. The long-term May temperature trend is broadly flat.
May is one of the drier months in Bowen, averaging 47 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1990 with 221 mm, while the driest was 2001 at 3 mm.
Relative humidity in Bowen during May averages 73%. The most humid May was 1989 at 85%, and the least humid was 2001 at 56%.
May receives about 4.2 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Bowen. The sunniest May was 2001 at 4.9 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1989 and 1990 at 3.7.
Average wind speed in Bowen during May is 4 m/s. The windiest Mays were 1993 and 2024 at 4.6 m/s, while the calmest was 2001 at 2.9 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 23.5°C | 23.6°C | 23.9°C | 23.4°C | 23.5°C | 0°C |
| Avg High | 26.3°C | 26.5°C | 27.1°C | 26.5°C | 26.5°C | +0.2°C |
| Avg Low | 20.6°C | 20.6°C | 20.7°C | 20.3°C | 20.4°C | -0.2°C |
| Avg Rain | 69 mm | 61 mm | 17 mm | 39 mm | 54 mm | -15 mm |
May temperatures in Bowen have stayed relatively stable across the record.
May has ranged from a record low of 12.3°C (2000) to a record high of 31.1°C (2015).
Rainfall in May is one of the drier months, averaging 47 mm, with a wettest year of 221 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs rose about 0.1°C per decade while lows fell 0.1°C per decade, widening the gap between day and night.
A good time to visit Bowen
May is a good time to visit Bowen, with days averaging 26.6°C and nights around 20.5°C (mean 23.6°C, cooler than Bowen's yearly average) and moderate rainfall. August and June are marginally more temperate, but May still suits most travellers.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26.7°C | 23.8°C | 20.9°C | 28.6°C | 17.1°C | 52 mm | 79% | 4 m/s | 4 |
| 2024 | 26.9°C | 24.0°C | 21.2°C | 28.1°C | 17.7°C | 37 mm | 77% | 4.6 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2023 | 26.8°C | 23.2°C | 19.6°C | 30.2°C | 15.9°C | 9 mm | 69% | 4 m/s | 4.8 |
| 2022 | 26.5°C | 23.8°C | 21.2°C | 28.4°C | 18.3°C | 128 mm | 83% | 3.3 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2021 | 26.6°C | 23.4°C | 20.2°C | 29.5°C | 15.2°C | 17 mm | 74% | 3.8 m/s | 4.7 |
| 2020 | 25.7°C | 22.6°C | 19.5°C | 30.0°C | 12.9°C | 78 mm | 70% | 4.1 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2019 | 26.2°C | 23.4°C | 20.5°C | 28.4°C | 15.8°C | 25 mm | 78% | 4.3 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2018 | 26.1°C | 23.0°C | 19.9°C | 29.6°C | 15.0°C | 20 mm | 73% | 4.2 m/s | 4.6 |
| 2017 | 25.7°C | 22.9°C | 20.1°C | 27.1°C | 16.9°C | 187 mm | 83% | 3.8 m/s | 4 |
| 2016 🔥 | 28.3°C | 25.3°C | 22.4°C | 30.5°C | 18.8°C | 7 mm | 75% | 3.5 m/s | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 28.3°C | 24.7°C | 21.1°C | 31.1°C | 17.9°C | 7 mm | 66% | 3.7 m/s | 4.6 |
| 2014 | 26.4°C | 23.5°C | 20.6°C | 28.8°C | 14.1°C | 13 mm | 75% | 4.1 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2013 | 26.3°C | 23.4°C | 20.5°C | 28.0°C | 15.3°C | 54 mm | 74% | 4.3 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2012 | 25.8°C | 22.8°C | 19.8°C | 28.3°C | 14.3°C | 43 mm | 75% | 4.4 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2011 ❄️ | 24.6°C | 21.2°C | 17.8°C | 27.1°C | 12.9°C | 21 mm | 72% | 3.6 m/s | 4.5 |
| 2010 | 26.9°C | 23.4°C | 19.9°C | 29.4°C | 13.2°C | 17 mm | 70% | 3.6 m/s | 4.4 |
| 2009 | 26.4°C | 23.3°C | 20.2°C | 27.4°C | 15.1°C | 13 mm | 72% | 4.1 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2008 | 26.2°C | 22.8°C | 19.3°C | 28.2°C | 13.5°C | 6 mm | 67% | 4 m/s | 4.4 |
| 2007 | 28.0°C | 25.0°C | 22.0°C | 30.4°C | 20.8°C | 15 mm | 73% | 4.2 m/s | 4.2 |
| 2006 | 26.1°C | 23.4°C | 20.7°C | 28.7°C | 17.9°C | 31 mm | 75% | 4 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2005 | 27.4°C | 23.8°C | 20.2°C | 29.6°C | 16.8°C | 24 mm | 65% | 3.7 m/s | 4.6 |
| 2004 | 27.2°C | 24.3°C | 21.3°C | 30.2°C | 18.3°C | 12 mm | 70% | 3.8 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2003 | 27.2°C | 24.1°C | 21.0°C | 30.5°C | 18.8°C | 26 mm | 72% | 4.2 m/s | 4.2 |
| 2002 | 28.1°C | 24.9°C | 21.6°C | 30.6°C | 17.3°C | 16 mm | 67% | 3.8 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2001 | 28.4°C | 24.4°C | 20.4°C | 30.5°C | 15.8°C | 3 mm | 56% | 2.9 m/s | 4.9 |
| 2000 | 25.7°C | 22.8°C | 20.0°C | 29.4°C | 12.3°C | 18 mm | 78% | 4.1 m/s | 4 |
| 1999 | 26.5°C | 23.3°C | 20.1°C | 28.2°C | 18.5°C | 34 mm | 79% | 4.1 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1998 | 27.3°C | 24.5°C | 21.6°C | 30.1°C | 17.4°C | 111 mm | 73% | 3.8 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1997 | 25.8°C | 22.5°C | 19.2°C | 27.9°C | 15.3°C | 52 mm | 74% | 3.1 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1996 | 27.3°C | 24.1°C | 20.9°C | 30.4°C | 17.7°C | 18 mm | 70% | 4 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1995 | 27.4°C | 24.5°C | 21.6°C | 29.1°C | 17.0°C | 26 mm | 72% | 4.1 m/s | 3.9 |
| 1994 | 26.3°C | 23.2°C | 20.1°C | 28.6°C | 16.8°C | 20 mm | 74% | 4.1 m/s | 4 |
| 1993 | 26.6°C | 23.7°C | 20.8°C | 28.3°C | 19.8°C | 14 mm | 72% | 4.6 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1992 | 26.9°C | 24.2°C | 21.5°C | 29.6°C | 17.9°C | 89 mm | 76% | 3.8 m/s | 3.9 |
| 1991 | 26.3°C | 23.1°C | 19.9°C | 28.2°C | 15.1°C | 26 mm | 75% | 4.2 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1990 🌧️ | 24.6°C | 22.5°C | 20.4°C | 28.3°C | 15.6°C | 221 mm | 84% | 4.2 m/s | 3.7 |
| 1989 | 25.2°C | 23.0°C | 20.7°C | 27.2°C | 15.2°C | 101 mm | 85% | 4.1 m/s | 3.7 |
| 1988 | 26.7°C | 23.5°C | 20.4°C | 28.8°C | 15.0°C | 60 mm | 72% | 3.4 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1987 | 27.2°C | 23.8°C | 20.4°C | 29.4°C | 16.0°C | 25 mm | 71% | 4 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1986 | 27.0°C | 23.8°C | 20.5°C | 30.0°C | 15.2°C | 26 mm | 74% | 3.7 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1985 | 25.7°C | 22.9°C | 20.2°C | 28.3°C | 15.8°C | 69 mm | 77% | 4.5 m/s | 3.9 |
| 1984 | 27.0°C | 23.9°C | 20.9°C | 28.5°C | 19.3°C | 11 mm | 68% | 4.5 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1983 | 25.4°C | 23.4°C | 21.4°C | 27.5°C | 17.8°C | 217 mm | 85% | 4.4 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 26.7°C | 23.4°C | 20.1°C | 29.4°C | 17.7°C | 13 mm | 70% | 3.8 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 26.2°C | 23.5°C | 20.8°C | 28.7°C | 17.0°C | 98 mm | 72% | 4.1 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 26.6°C with lows near 20.5°C (mean 23.6°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 47 mm of rainfall in Bowen, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 221 mm in 1990.
The hottest May reached 31.1°C in 2015. The coldest dipped to 12.3°C in 2000.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 0.2°C — but days and nights have moved in opposite directions. Daytime highs rose from 26.2°C to 26.7°C while overnight lows fell from 20.7°C to 20.6°C, widening the gap between day and night.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Bowen and one of the drier months, so plan for around 26.6°C daytime highs and 20.5°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 5th coolest month in Bowen, averaging 23.6°C.
For May in Bowen, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 26.6°C and lows of 20.5°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 73% — moderately humid.
Average wind speed in May is 4 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 4.6 m/s (1993).
The wettest May on record was 1990 with 221 mm. On average, May sees 47 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Bowen behaves each May, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for May specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
