Salzburg weather in May

In May, Salzburg sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 196 mm of precipitation across 19.8 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Salzburg's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salzburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
196 mm
19.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:36 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2019

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Salzburg reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1155
2165
3165
4165
5165
6166
7166
8166
9166
10166
11166
12166
13177
14177
15177
16177
17177
18177
19177
20177
21178
22178
23178
24188
25188
26188
27188
28188
29189
30189
31189

How May really feels in Salzburg

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.

Salzburg weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -6°11713.912.38.60.0
Feb / -5°10513.312.19.90.0
Mar / -2°14017.111.911.60.9
Apr12° / 12115.86.513.42.7
May17° / 19619.81.514.94.2
Jun20° / 11°215200.215.74.8
Jul22° / 12°21720.6015.45.1
Aug21° / 12°19318.3014.15.4
Sep17° / 16515.70.512.44.7
Oct13° / 12013.93.110.63.1
Nov / -1°10913.189.10.6
Dec / -5°1211512.48.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33763
43763
53664
63664
73763
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133763
143763
153862
163862
173862
183862
193763
203862
213862
223862
233862
243862
253862
263862
273961
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Salzburg gets around 196 mm of rain and snow over 19.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 63% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1587
2597
3606
4606
5616
6626
7626
8636
9636
10636
11646
12646
13646
14646
15645
16645
17655
18655
19655
20645
21645
22645
23645
24645
25644
26644
27644
28644
29644
30654
31653

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
13991
14991
15991
16991
17982
18982
19973
20964
21964
22955
23946
24937
25928
26919
279010
288911
298812
308713
318614

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:59 AM to 4:21 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.24:597:11
214.34:577:13
314.34:557:14
414.44:547:16
514.44:527:17
614.54:517:18
714.54:497:20
814.64:477:21
914.64:467:23
1014.74:447:24
1114.74:437:25
1214.74:427:27
1314.84:407:28
1414.84:397:29
1514.94:387:31
1614.94:367:32
1715.04:357:33
1815.04:347:34
1915.14:337:36
2015.14:317:37
2115.14:307:38
2215.24:297:39
2315.24:287:41
2415.24:277:42
2515.34:267:43
2615.34:257:44
2715.34:247:45
2815.44:237:46
2915.44:237:47
3015.44:227:48
3115.54:217:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.38 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.22 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Salzburg?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Salzburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Salzburg in May

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

In May, Salzburg sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 7°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Salzburg in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Salzburg peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Salzburg?

Salzburg sits at 47.8°N, 13.0°E, 424 m above sea level, in Austria. The nearest listed city is Freilassing, 7.0 km away.

TraunreutSaalfelden am Steinernen MeerBurghausenHallstattZell am See

Topography around Salzburg

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Salzburg.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Salzburg has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 286 m around an average of 435 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,532 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,168 m.

The land around Salzburg is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (39%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and grassland (36%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and grassland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
286 m
16 km
1,532 m
80 km
3,168 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Freilassing 7.0 km · Bad Reichenhall 15 km · Traunstein 31 km · Traunreut 38 km · Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer 44 km · Burghausen 44 km · Hallstatt 52 km · Zell am See 56 km

Austria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 82% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$62,930
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 616
Religion
Roman Catholic 55%none 22%Muslim 8%other 5%

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 Salzburg (47.7994°, 13.044°, elevation 424 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).