Where to go in May?
In May, average highs range from 17 °C in Kars to 42 °C in Al Ain. Warmest: Al Ain (42 °C), Bidiyah (edge of the Wahiba Sands) (42 °C), Nizwa (41 °C). The sea is warmest in Muscat: old town, Muttrah Souq and beaches (30 °C) and coolest in The Princes' Islands (16 °C).
Dubai
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| The desert: Al Marmoom and the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (Al Ain) | 42 °C | — |
| Hatta and the Hajar Mountains (Al Ain) | 42 °C | — |
| Downtown Dubai, Burj Khalifa and Business Bay | 38 °C | 29 °C |
| Dubai Marina, JBR and Bluewaters | 38 °C | 29 °C |
| Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim (Dubai) | 38 °C | 29 °C |
| Palm Jumeirah (Dubai) | 38 °C | 29 °C |
| Old Dubai: Deira, Al Fahidi and the Creek | 38 °C | 29 °C |
Egypt
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Aswan and Abu Simbel | 40 °C | — |
| Nile cruise (Luxor) | 39 °C | — |
| Luxor | 39 °C | — |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | 35 °C | 25 °C |
| Dahab (Sharm el-Sheikh) | 35 °C | 24 °C |
| Middle Egypt (Amarna, Beni Hasan) (Minya) | 35 °C | — |
| Bahariya and the White Desert | 34 °C | — |
| Siwa Oasis | 34 °C | — |
| El Gouna (Hurghada) | 34 °C | 25 °C |
| Hurghada, Makadi and Sahl Hasheesh | 34 °C | 25 °C |
| Soma Bay (Hurghada) | 34 °C | 25 °C |
| Marsa Alam | 33 °C | 26 °C |
| Fayoum (Cairo) | 32 °C | — |
| Cairo and Giza | 32 °C | — |
| St Catherine and Mount Sinai (Saint Catherine) | 28 °C | — |
| Alexandria and the North Coast | 27 °C | 21 °C |
| Nile Delta (Alexandria) | 27 °C | — |
Morocco
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Dades and Todgha valleys (Ouarzazate) | 31 °C | — |
| Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou and the Draa Valley | 31 °C | — |
| Merzouga and Erg Chebbi (Errachidia) | 30 °C | — |
| Marrakesh | 29 °C | — |
| Azilal and Ouzoud waterfalls (Beni Mellal) | 29 °C | — |
| Fez | 26 °C | — |
| Meknes and Volubilis | 26 °C | — |
| Oujda and Saidia | 26 °C | 19 °C |
| Agadir | 24 °C | 18 °C |
| High Atlas (Midelt) | 24 °C | — |
| Taghazout (Agadir) | 24 °C | 18 °C |
| Taroudant (Agadir) | 24 °C | — |
| Tangier | 24 °C | 18 °C |
| Rabat | 24 °C | 19 °C |
| Chefchaouen (Tetouan) | 23 °C | — |
| Tetouan and Tamuda Bay | 23 °C | 18 °C |
| Dakhla | 23 °C | 20 °C |
| Casablanca | 23 °C | 19 °C |
| El Jadida and Oualidia (Casablanca) | 23 °C | 19 °C |
| Essaouira | 21 °C | 18 °C |
| Ifrane and the Middle Atlas | 20 °C | — |
Oman
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Wahiba Sands (Sharqiya Sands) and Wadi Bani Khalid (Bidiyah (edge of the Wahiba Sands)) | 42 °C | — |
| Nizwa, Bahla and Jabreen | 41 °C | — |
| Sur, Ras al Jinz and the coastal wadis | 41 °C | 29 °C |
| Al Batinah: Nakhal, Rustaq and the Al Sawadi coast (Muscat) | 39 °C | 30 °C |
| Muscat: old town, Muttrah Souq and beaches | 39 °C | 30 °C |
| Musandam: Khasab and the fjords | 38 °C | 28 °C |
| Duqm and the Al Wusta coast (Masirah Island) | 36 °C | 28 °C |
| Eastern Dhofar: Taqah, Wadi Darbat, Mirbat (Salalah) | 33 °C | 29 °C |
| Salalah and the western coast | 33 °C | 29 °C |
| Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain) (Saiq (Jebel Akhdar)) | 28 °C | — |
| Jebel Shams, Al Hamra and Misfat (Saiq (Jebel Akhdar)) | 28 °C | — |
Tunisia
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Tozeur, Nefta and the Jerid | 32 °C | — |
| Douz and the Sahara (Kebili (Douz)) | 32 °C | — |
| Kairouan | 30 °C | — |
| Djerba, Zarzis and the South-East | 27 °C | 21 °C |
| Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth (Tunis) | 26 °C | 19 °C |
| Tunis, the medina and the Roman sites | 26 °C | 19 °C |
| Monastir | 26 °C | 19 °C |
| Sousse and Port El Kantaoui (Monastir (Sousse)) | 26 °C | 19 °C |
| Tabarka and Kroumirie | 25 °C | 19 °C |
| Hammamet, Nabeul and Cap Bon (Nabeul (Hammamet)) | 24 °C | 19 °C |
| Mahdia, El Jem and Sfax | 24 °C | 19 °C |
Turkey
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Göcek and Dalyan (Dalaman) | 27 °C | 21 °C |
| Fethiye, Ölüdeniz and Faralya | 27 °C | 21 °C |
| Ephesus, Selçuk and Şirince | 27 °C | 20 °C |
| The Bodrum peninsula | 27 °C | 20 °C |
| İzmir and Urla | 26 °C | 20 °C |
| Antalya and Kaleiçi | 26 °C | 21 °C |
| Olympos and Çıralı (Finike) | 26 °C | 21 °C |
| Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa | 26 °C | — |
| Datça and Bozburun | 26 °C | 20 °C |
| Edirne | 26 °C | — |
| Ayvalık, Cunda and Pergamon | 25 °C | 19 °C |
| Kalkan, Kaş and Kekova | 25 °C | 20 °C |
| Mardin and Midyat | 25 °C | — |
| Çeşme and Alaçatı | 25 °C | 19 °C |
| Bursa and Uludağ | 24 °C | — |
| Assos, Troy and the Dardanelles (Çanakkale) | 23 °C | 17 °C |
| Ankara, Hattusa and Safranbolu | 23 °C | — |
| Konya | 23 °C | — |
| The Princes' Islands (Istanbul (Florya)) | 22 °C | 16 °C |
| Istanbul, the historic peninsula (Istanbul (Florya)) | 22 °C | 16 °C |
| Istanbul, Pera, Galata and the Golden Horn (Istanbul (Florya)) | 22 °C | 16 °C |
| Cappadocia (Nevşehir) | 21 °C | — |
| Istanbul, the Bosphorus (Bosphorus (Sarıyer)) | 21 °C | 16 °C |
| The Black Sea highlands (Rize (coast)) | 20 °C | — |
| Kars and Ani | 17 °C | — |
Average high: the mean of each day's highest temperature over the month, from the climate normals cited in the sources. Sea: average surface temperature, where known.
Events in May
- 14 October 2026 – 17 May 2027 Global Village Global Village, Dubailand (Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road)
- 25 March 2027 – 5 May 2027 Jebel Akhdar rose season Jebel Akhdar (estimated date)
- 1 May 2027 – 30 September 2027 Turtle nesting and hatching at Ras al Jinz Ras al Jinz
- 3 May 2027 Sham el-Nessim, spring festival All of Egypt
- 15 May 2027 – 18 May 2027 Eid Al Adha 2027 in Dubai Citywide
- 16 May 2027 – 18 May 2027 Eid al-Adha 2027 in Morocco and Egypt All of Morocco and Egypt (estimated date)
- 16 May 2027 – 18 May 2027 Eid al-Adha 2027 in Oman Nationwide (estimated date)
- 16 May 2027 – 17 May 2027 Eid al-Adha 2027 in Tunisia Nationwide (estimated date)
- 16 May 2027 – 19 May 2027 Feast of the Sacrifice 2027 in Turkey (Kurban Bayramı) Nationwide
- 30 May 2027 Mohammed VI International Athletics Meeting, Rabat Rabat, Olympic Stadium
Other months
Our sources: ncei.noaa.gov, nodc.noaa.gov, seatemperature.info, en.wikipedia.org, web.archive.org, bulk.meteostat.net, meteostat.net, psl.noaa.gov.