Ostend weather in May

In May, Ostend sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ostend's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ostend's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
11°
7th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
5:05 AM – 8:24 PM
Cloud cover
62%
4th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Ostend is city in Ostend municipality, Belgium.

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 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ostend reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1139
2139
3139
4139
51310
61310
71410
81410
91410
101410
111410
121410
131410
141410
151411
161411
171511
181511
191511
201511
211511
221511
231511
241512
251512
261612
271612
281612
291612
301612
311612

How May really feels in Ostend

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.

Ostend weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7313.90.88.20.7
Feb / 6011.41.19.60.7
Mar / 5511.40.511.51.6
Apr11° / 4610.4013.52.8
May14° / 11°5710.9015.34.2
Jun17° / 14°6010.5016.35.4
Jul20° / 16°7012015.96.0
Aug20° / 16°8012014.46.0
Sep18° / 14°7812012.45.4
Oct15° / 11°9214010.43.8
Nov11° / 9515.40.28.72.1
Dec / 9314.90.77.71.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44060
54159
64159
74159
84258
94357
104357
114258
124357
134357
144456
154456
164357
174357
184357
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254357
264456
274456
284357
294258
304357
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ostend gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.9 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 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
635
735
835
934
1034
1134
1235
1335
1435
1536
1636
1736
1837
1937
2037
2137
2237
2337
2437
2537
2636
2736
2836
2936
3037
3137

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59820
69820
79820
89730
99730
109730
119730
129730
139640
149640
159640
169640
179640
189550
199550
209460
219460
229370
239280
249091
2589101
2688111
2786131
2885141
2984151
3082171
3181181

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 4:47 AM, and sunset from 8:01 PM to 8:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:308:01
214.65:288:02
314.65:278:04
414.75:258:05
514.75:238:07
614.85:218:09
714.85:198:10
814.95:188:12
915.05:168:14
1015.05:148:15
1115.15:138:17
1215.15:118:18
1315.25:098:20
1415.25:088:21
1515.35:068:23
1615.35:058:24
1715.45:038:26
1815.45:028:27
1915.55:008:29
2015.54:598:30
2115.64:588:32
2215.64:578:33
2315.74:558:34
2415.74:548:36
2515.74:538:37
2615.84:528:38
2715.84:518:40
2815.94:508:41
2915.94:498:42
3015.94:488:43
3116.04:478:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.44 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ostend?

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
0.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ostend for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ostend in May

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

In May, Ostend sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ostend in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Ostend in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ostend peaks around June 22 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ostend?

Ostend sits at 51.2°N, 2.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in Belgium. The nearest listed city is Middelkerke, 8.0 km away.

ZedelgemSint-AndriesBlankenbergeTorhoutBrugesDiksmuideOostkamp

Topography around Ostend

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ostend has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 m.

The land around Ostend is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, water (43%), cropland (23%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (35%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
49 m
80 km
318 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Middelkerke 8.0 km · Zedelgem 17 km · Sint-Andries 18 km · Blankenberge 18 km · Torhout 21 km · Bruges 21 km · Diksmuide 21 km · Oostkamp 22 km

Belgium travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 81% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,750
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 608
Religion
Roman Catholic 57%nonbeliever/agnostic 20%atheist 9%Muslim 7%

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 Ostend (51.2155°, 2.927°, elevation 6 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).