Chatham weather in May

In May, Chatham sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 92 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chatham's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chatham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:13 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
62%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Chatham is community in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1998

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 17°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chatham reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 6°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1167
2167
3177
4177
5178
6178
7178
8188
9188
10189
11189
12189
13199
14199
15199
161910
171910
182010
192010
202010
212011
222011
232111
242111
252112
262112
272212
282212
292212
302213
312213

How May really feels in Chatham

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.

Chatham weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -7°6610.56.69.30.0
Feb / -7°548.5610.30.0
Mar / -3°6610.24.411.60.5
Apr13° / 8912.21.313.13.3
May19° / 10°9212.3014.45.7
Jun25° / 15°9411.20156.6
Jul27° / 18°8611.1014.86.5
Aug26° / 17°7710.4013.76.8
Sep22° / 13°738.7012.36.9
Oct15° / 7610.3010.84.6
Nov / 719.71.99.61.4
Dec / -3°6310.1590.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44060
54060
63961
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
124159
134159
144060
154159
164159
174159
184159
194258
204258
214357
224357
234456
244456
254555
264555
274654
284654
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chatham gets around 92 mm of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
340
440
540
640
741
841
941
1041
1142
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1741
1841
1941
2040
2140
2239
2339
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1935200
2935200
3926200
4926200
5897310
6897310
7887410
8878410
9878410
10868510
11849520
12849520
138210620
148210620
158011720
167911730
177811830
187712830
197612930
2073131040
2172131041
2269141151
2369141151
2467151251
2566151261
2664161361
2763161461
2862171461
2960171571
3060171571
3158181671

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:31 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 7:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:317:21
213.95:307:22
313.95:287:23
413.95:277:24
514.05:267:25
614.05:257:26
714.15:237:27
814.15:227:28
914.15:217:30
1014.25:207:31
1114.25:187:32
1214.35:177:33
1314.35:167:34
1414.35:157:35
1514.45:147:36
1614.45:137:37
1714.45:127:38
1814.55:117:39
1914.55:107:40
2014.55:097:41
2114.65:087:42
2214.65:077:43
2314.65:067:44
2414.75:067:45
2514.75:057:46
2614.75:047:47
2714.75:037:48
2814.85:037:49
2914.85:027:50
3014.85:017:51
3114.85:017:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.97 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Chatham?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Chatham for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chatham in May

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

In May, Chatham sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chatham in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 32 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 29 to Sep 23 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr5Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct16Cool
Nov10Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Chatham 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 Chatham peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chatham?

Chatham sits at 42.4°N, 82.2°W, 183 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Leamington, 53 km away.

Topography around Chatham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chatham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 182 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 159 m.

The land around Chatham is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), trees (26%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, cropland (88%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
62 m
80 km
159 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Leamington 53 km · Kingsville 57 km · Tecumseh 58 km · Saint Clair Shores 59 km · Grosse Pointe Woods 59 km · Mount Clemens 60 km · Roseville 62 km · Clinton Township 63 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 Chatham (42.4122°, -82.1849°, elevation 183 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).