Churchill weather in May

In May, Churchill sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 7 wet days and about 16.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 24 min at the start of May to 17 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Churchill's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Churchill's year-round climate.

Daytime high
5th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
7th coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
7 wet days
Daylight
16 h 30 min
3:57 AM – 8:29 PM
Cloud cover
80%
5th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Churchill is town in Manitoba, Canada.

Density
17/km²
people per km²

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 -2°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical May day in Churchill reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°C warmer than April and about 7°C cooler than June.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-8
2-2-8
3-1-7
4-1-7
5-1-7
6-1-7
7-1-6
80-6
90-6
100-6
110-5
121-5
131-5
141-5
151-4
162-4
172-4
182-4
193-3
203-3
213-3
223-3
234-2
244-2
254-2
265-2
275-1
285-1
295-1
306-1
316-1

How May really feels in Churchill

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
17 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Churchill weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-23° / -28°103.14.46.70.0
Feb-21° / -27°933.68.80.0
Mar-15° / -22°183.95.111.40.0
Apr-6° / -13°215.35140.0
May / -4°3674.516.50.0
Jun / 457.6117.92.0
Jul14° / 679.1017.34.0
Aug14° / 8912.5015.23.8
Sep / 7211.10.712.61.8
Oct / -2°569.66.59.90.0
Nov-9° / -14°236.48.87.40.0
Dec-18° / -23°133.65.36.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31981
41981
51981
62080
71981
81981
92080
102080
112080
122080
132179
142179
152179
162179
172179
182278
192278
202278
212278
222278
232278
242377
252278
262377
272377
282476
292575
302674
312773

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Churchill gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 7 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12219
22219
32219
42319
52319
62319
72420
82419
92419
102419
112419
122419
132418
142417
152416
162316
172315
182214
192213
202212
212111
222111
232110
242110
25219
26209
27209
28209
29208
30208
31208

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 21 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 24 min at the start of May to 17 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 126 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:33 AM to 3:30 AM, and sunset from 7:55 PM to 8:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.44:337:55
215.44:307:57
315.54:288:00
415.64:258:02
515.74:238:04
615.84:208:06
715.94:188:09
815.94:158:11
916.04:138:13
1016.14:108:16
1116.24:088:18
1216.24:068:20
1316.34:048:22
1416.44:018:24
1516.53:598:27
1616.53:578:29
1716.63:558:31
1816.73:538:33
1916.73:518:35
2016.83:498:37
2116.93:478:39
2216.93:458:41
2317.03:438:43
2417.13:418:45
2517.13:398:47
2617.23:388:49
2717.33:368:51
2817.33:348:53
2917.43:338:55
3017.43:318:56
3117.53:308:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.62 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Churchill?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Churchill.

What to pack for Churchill in May

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

In May, Churchill sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Churchill in May

The nearest coast averages about -1°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in January near -2°C.

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

-5°0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan-1Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar-1Bracing
Apr-1Bracing
May-1Bracing
Jun1Bracing
Jul5Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep8Bracing
Oct4Bracing
Nov0Bracing
Dec-1Bracing

UV index in Churchill in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Churchill peaks around June 14 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 14UV 6Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Churchill in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Churchill is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 25.5× the cleanest month (January, 1 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodAug 1315 µg/m³Jan 11 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan1Good
Feb1Good
Mar4Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun9Good
Jul12Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep7Good
Oct3Good
Nov1Good
Dec1Good
Location & terrain

Where is Churchill?

Churchill sits at 58.8°N, 94.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Prince Albert, 949 km away.

Prince AlbertYorktonKenoraWinnipegSt. James-Assiniboia EastFort Garry SouthSteinbachFort McMurray

Topography around Churchill

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Churchill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m.

The land around Churchill is covered by water (69%) within 3 km, water (64%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (39%), grassland (29%) and wetland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
120 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Prince Albert 949 km · Yorkton 991 km · Kenora 1,001 km · Winnipeg 1,006 km · St. James-Assiniboia East 1,007 km · Fort Garry South 1,017 km · Steinbach 1,041 km · Fort McMurray 1,043 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 Churchill (58.7681°, -94.1667°, elevation 0 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).