Bedford weather in May

In May, Bedford sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 85 mm of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bedford's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bedford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
85 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:52 AM – 7:29 PM
Cloud cover
71%
8th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Bedford is community in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Founded
1750

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 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Bedford reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1123
2123
3123
4133
5134
6134
7134
8134
9144
10144
11144
12145
13145
14145
15145
16155
17155
18155
19156
20156
21156
22156
23166
24166
25167
26167
27167
28167
29167
30177
31178

How May really feels in Bedford

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Bedford weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -9°11111.6890.0
Feb-0° / -9°9910.37.410.10.0
Mar / -5°107126.711.60.0
Apr / 9212.53.913.21.6
May14° / 8511.30.414.64.0
Jun19° / 10°9811.6015.35.8
Jul23° / 15°9010.60156.5
Aug23° / 15°8910.2013.96.8
Sep20° / 11°999.2012.36.2
Oct14° / 12210.60.110.73.8
Nov / 12910.91.79.41.2
Dec / -4°132136.48.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23169
33169
43268
53268
63367
73367
83367
93367
103367
113466
123466
133565
143565
153466
163565
173466
183466
193466
203367
213367
223367
233367
243466
253466
263466
273367
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bedford gets around 85 mm of rain and snow over 11.3 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1405
2395
3395
4394
5384
6384
7373
8373
9373
10362
11362
12372
13372
14372
15372
16371
17371
18371
19371
20371
21370
22370
23370
24370
25370
26370
27370
28380
29380
30380
31380

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
1110000
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189820
199820
209820
219730
229730
239640
249640
259550
269550
279361
289361
299271
309271
319181

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:12 AM to 4:39 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:127:11
214.05:117:12
314.15:097:14
414.15:087:15
514.25:077:16
614.25:057:17
714.25:047:19
814.35:027:20
914.35:017:21
1014.45:007:22
1114.44:587:24
1214.54:577:25
1314.54:567:26
1414.54:557:27
1514.64:547:28
1614.64:527:29
1714.74:517:31
1814.74:507:32
1914.74:497:33
2014.84:487:34
2114.84:477:35
2214.84:467:36
2314.94:457:37
2414.94:447:38
2514.94:447:39
2615.04:437:40
2715.04:427:41
2815.04:417:42
2915.04:417:43
3015.14:407:44
3115.14:397:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.46 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.11 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bedford

In seasonPeak

None of Bedford's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Bedford sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Is May a good time to visit Bedford?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bedford for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bedford in May

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

In May, Bedford sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Bedford in May

The nearest coast averages about 5°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 26 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 1°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Bedford 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 Bedford peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bedford?

Bedford sits at 44.7°N, 63.7°W, 25 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Lower Sackville, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Bedford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bedford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m around an average of 44 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 327 m.

The land around Bedford is covered by trees (61%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
113 m
16 km
187 m
80 km
327 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Lower Sackville 6.0 km · Clayton Park West 8.0 km · Dartmouth 9.0 km · Halifax West End 9.0 km · Armdale 10 km · Downtown Halifax 11 km · Halifax 12 km · Woodlawn 12 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

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 Bedford (44.7255°, -63.6673°, elevation 25 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).