Kingston weather in May

In May, Kingston sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 81 mm of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 19°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 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kingston's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kingston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
81 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:45 AM – 7:19 PM
Cloud cover
63%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Kingston is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
294/km²
people per km²
Founded
1673

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 14°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kingston reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 6°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1147
2147
3147
4147
5157
6158
7158
8158
9158
10168
11169
12169
13169
14169
15179
161710
171710
181710
191710
201810
211811
221811
231811
241811
251912
261912
271912
281912
291912
301913
312013

How May really feels in Kingston

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.

Kingston weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -10°7410.88.89.10.0
Feb-2° / -9°599.17.210.20.0
Mar / -5°73105.811.60.0
Apr10° / 10111.5213.22.0
May17° / 10°8111.2014.55.1
Jun22° / 16°9711.4015.36.5
Jul25° / 19°9911.30156.7
Aug24° / 18°9611.1013.86.8
Sep20° / 13°9510.1012.36.3
Oct13° / 10412.70.210.83.5
Nov / 89112.69.40.8
Dec / -5°83127.48.70.0

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44060
54060
64060
74060
84159
94159
104159
114060
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
204159
214060
224060
234159
244159
254060
264159
274060
284060
294060
304060
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kingston gets around 81 mm of rain over 11.2 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 (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
736
837
937
1037
1137
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2736
2836
2937
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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
297300
397300
496400
596400
696400
795500
895500
994600
1094600
1193700
1291810
1391810
1490910
1590910
16881020
17871120
18851230
19841330
20821440
21801550
22771661
23761671
24741781
25721891
26711991
276820102
286720112
296521122
306422122
316223132

Wind in May

Winds average 12 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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:05 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:057:01
214.05:037:03
314.05:027:04
414.15:007:05
514.14:597:06
614.24:587:08
714.24:567:09
814.34:557:10
914.34:547:11
1014.34:527:12
1114.44:517:13
1214.44:507:15
1314.54:497:16
1414.54:477:17
1514.54:467:18
1614.64:457:19
1714.64:447:20
1814.64:437:21
1914.74:427:23
2014.74:417:24
2114.74:407:25
2214.84:397:26
2314.84:387:27
2414.84:377:28
2514.94:367:29
2614.94:367:30
2714.94:357:31
2815.04:347:32
2915.04:337:33
3015.04:337:34
3115.04:327:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.92 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kingston?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kingston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kingston in May

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

In May, Kingston sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kingston in May

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in March near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 12 — about 2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Kingston 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 Kingston peaks around July 12 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 highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kingston?

Kingston sits at 44.2°N, 76.5°W, 70 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Greater Napanee, 37 km away.

Topography around Kingston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kingston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 84 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 487 m.

The land around Kingston is covered by water (49%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, water (37%), trees (25%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
94 m
80 km
487 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Greater Napanee 37 km · Watertown 54 km · Prince Edward 66 km · Belleville 72 km · Brockville 75 km · Oswego 86 km · Quinte West 87 km · Clay 119 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 Kingston (44.2298°, -76.481°, elevation 70 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).