Hong Kong · Hong Kong
May
Buddha's Birthday and pre-typhoon heat — hot, humid, and wet. Proceed with eyes open.
Strong option
#10 of 12 months
There are better months for Hong Kong — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
28°C
Low
24°C
Rain
265mm
Sun
5.2hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Hong Kong
Weather
Average
Value
Very good
Crowds
Good
Events
Good
Atmosphere
Above average
What you gain in May
- ↑Buddha's Birthday (a public holiday in late May or June) brings elaborate lantern processions to Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island and Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin — accessible, beautiful, and genuinely uncrowded by Western tourist standards.
- ↑Prices are low and availability high — the period before typhoon season proper is when Hong Kong's accommodation market has its softest inventory. Business travel drops and leisure visitors are yet to arrive.
What you sacrifice
- ↓May's 265mm of rainfall and 86% humidity make outdoor Hong Kong difficult. The heat index can reach 35°C+ on humid afternoons — the hillside neighbourhoods of Mid-Levels and the Peak are surprisingly challenging to walk between.
- ↓Typhoon season technically begins in May and an early season storm can disrupt several days of travel with little warning. The Hong Kong Observatory's typhoon signal system (1 through 10) should be monitored: Signal 8 halts all commercial activity.
How May compares to October (best month)
| Factor | May | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 7 | 5 |
| Crowds | 6 | 4 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Zanzibar (28°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (25°C)Seville (27°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (34°C)Havana (30°C)Split (22°C)Taipei (30°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (24°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (29°C)Cappadocia (22°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (31°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (28°C)Jordan (28°C)Azores (21°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (22.8°C)Cairo (34.8°C)Kenya (26.1°C)Jaipur (40.2°C)Las Vegas (33.8°C)San Francisco (17.5°C)Madeira (23°C)Vancouver (17.8°C)Muscat (40.1°C)Lima (20.5°C)Cinque Terre (21°C)Kotor (22°C)Tel Aviv (27°C)Santiago (17°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (17.8°C)Penang (33.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (27.8°C)Fez (27.8°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Oslo (17°C)Auckland (17°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Hong Kong, not across destinations. Methodology →