Ypres weather in May

In May, Ypres sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 62 mm of rain across 11.9 wet days and about 15.2 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 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 15 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ypres's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ypres's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
11.9 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
5:06 AM – 8:23 PM
Cloud cover
68%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Ypres is city in Ieper/Ypres 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 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ypres reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1168
2168
3168
4168
5168
6168
7178
8178
9178
10179
11179
12179
13179
14179
15179
16179
17189
18189
19189
201810
211810
221810
231810
241810
251910
261910
271910
281910
291911
301911
311911

How May really feels in Ypres

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.

Ypres 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 / 6011.80.88.20.7
Feb / 5010.61.19.71.0
Mar11° / 5110.70.711.52.5
Apr14° / 4910.8013.54.0
May18° / 6211.9015.25.3
Jun20° / 12°6010.5016.26.1
Jul22° / 14°6111015.86.5
Aug22° / 14°7011014.36.5
Sep19° / 12°539.9012.46.0
Oct15° / 6111.2010.44.3
Nov10° / 6112.20.38.72.2
Dec / 7012.51.17.80.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33070
43169
53169
63268
73268
83268
93367
103367
113466
123466
133565
143565
153565
163565
173565
183664
193664
203565
213664
223664
233565
243565
253565
263367
273367
283367
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ypres gets around 62 mm of rain over 11.9 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
539
639
739
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2239
2339
2439
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
3039
3139

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39820
49730
59730
69640
79640
89550
99550
109550
119460
129460
139460
149460
159370
169370
179370
189280
199181
209091
219091
2289101
2388111
2487112
2586122
2685132
2784142
2882153
2981163
3080173
3178184

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 15 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 8:00 PM to 8:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:328:00
214.55:308:01
314.65:288:03
414.65:268:05
514.75:248:06
614.85:228:08
714.85:218:09
814.95:198:11
914.95:178:12
1015.05:168:14
1115.05:148:16
1215.15:128:17
1315.15:118:19
1415.25:098:20
1515.25:088:22
1615.35:068:23
1715.35:058:25
1815.45:038:26
1915.45:028:27
2015.55:018:29
2115.54:598:30
2215.64:588:32
2315.64:578:33
2415.64:568:34
2515.74:558:36
2615.74:548:37
2715.84:538:38
2815.84:528:39
2915.84:518:41
3015.94:508:42
3115.94:498:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.66 kWh/m² to a high of 5.4 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
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 Ypres?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ypres for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ypres in May

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

In May, Ypres sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ypres 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 36 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 7°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
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct15Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Ypres 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 Ypres peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ypres?

Ypres sits at 50.9°N, 2.9°E, 24 m above sea level, in Belgium. The nearest listed city is Poperinge, 11 km away.

MenenHalluinArmentièresRoeselareDiksmuideWevelgem

Topography around Ypres

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ypres has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 22 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 172 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 m.

The land around Ypres is covered by cropland (40%), grassland (22%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, cropland (57%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and cropland (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
172 m
80 km
338 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Poperinge 11 km · Wervik 13 km · Menen 18 km · Halluin 18 km · Armentières 18 km · Roeselare 20 km · Diksmuide 20 km · Wevelgem 21 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 Ypres (50.8511°, 2.8857°, elevation 24 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).