St. John's weather in May

In May, St. John's sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 62 mm of rain across 12.4 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is St. John's's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see St. John's's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
26°
6th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:40 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
54%
9th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

St. John's is largest city of Antigua and Barbuda.

Density
5,174/km²
people per km²
Founded
1666

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in St. John's reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and on par with June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12625
22625
32625
42725
52725
62725
72725
82725
92725
102725
112725
122725
132725
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302726
312726

How May really feels in St. John's

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

St. John's weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 24°321011.17.3
Feb25° / 24°217.111.47.7
Mar25° / 24°216.611.97.8
Apr26° / 25°338.812.47.2
May27° / 26°6212.412.86.3
Jun27° / 26°5112.1136.1
Jul28° / 26°7815.912.95.8
Aug28° / 26°9817.812.65.4
Sep28° / 26°1271812.14.9
Oct28° / 26°13218.811.65.2
Nov27° / 26°10315.811.25.8
Dec26° / 25°5813.3116.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27129
36931
46832
56733
66436
76337
86238
96139
106040
115941
125842
135743
145743
155743
165644
175644
185644
195545
205545
215545
225446
235446
245446
255446
265446
275545
285545
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

St. John's gets around 62 mm of rain over 12.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
237
337
438
539
639
740
840
940
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2239
2339
2439
2539
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
114860
213870
312871
411881
511881
610891
79901
88911
98911
107921
116922
126922
135932
144942
154933
163943
173934
182944
192944
202935
211945
221945
231936
241936
251927
261927
271927
281918
291918
301918
310919

Wind in May

Winds average 24 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 24 km/h on the calmest days to 25 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
125breezy
225breezy
325breezy
425breezy
525breezy
625breezy
725breezy
825breezy
925breezy
1025breezy
1125breezy
1225breezy
1325breezy
1425breezy
1525breezy
1625breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2524breezy
2625breezy
2725breezy
2825breezy
2925breezy
3025breezy
3125breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:46 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:466:23
212.65:466:23
312.65:456:23
412.75:456:24
512.75:446:24
612.75:446:24
712.75:436:25
812.75:436:25
912.75:426:25
1012.75:426:26
1112.75:416:26
1212.85:416:26
1312.85:416:27
1412.85:406:27
1512.85:406:27
1612.85:406:28
1712.85:396:28
1812.85:396:28
1912.85:396:29
2012.85:386:29
2112.95:386:29
2212.95:386:30
2312.95:386:30
2412.95:386:30
2512.95:376:31
2612.95:376:31
2712.95:376:32
2812.95:376:32
2912.95:376:32
3012.95:376:33
3112.95:376:33

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.55 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for St. John's

In seasonPeak

In May, St. John's sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

St. John's sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

St. John's's rainy season runs July–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

St. John's sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit St. John's?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit St. John's for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for St. John's in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, St. John's sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near St. John's in May

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in St. John's in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in St. John's peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in St. John's in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in St. John's is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1124 µg/m³Dec 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is St. John's?

St. John's sits at 17.1°N, 61.8°W, 12 m above sea level, in Antigua and Barbuda. The nearest listed city is Falmouth, 12 km away.

FalmouthEnglish HarbourCodrington

Topography around St. John's

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of St. John's.

Within 3 km, the terrain around St. John's has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 391 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,011 m.

The land around St. John's is covered by artificial surfaces (35%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, water (69%) within 16 km, and water (96%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
391 m
80 km
1,011 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Falmouth 12 km · English Harbour 14 km · Brades 54 km · Codrington 58 km · Plymouth 61 km · Sainte-Rose 89 km · Basseterre 96 km · Baie-Mahault 99 km

Antigua and Barbuda travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 69% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$24,819
2025
Homicide rate
10.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
0
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 68%other 12%Roman Catholic 8%none 6%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for St. John's (17.121°, -61.8433°, elevation 12 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).