Owen Sound weather in May

In May, Owen Sound sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 83 mm of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Owen Sound's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Owen Sound's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
83 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:02 AM – 7:38 PM
Cloud cover
59%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Owen Sound is city in Ontario, Canada.

Founded
1857

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 15°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Owen Sound reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1154
2155
3155
4155
5165
6165
7165
8166
9166
10166
11176
12176
13176
14177
15177
16187
17187
18187
19187
20188
21198
22198
23198
24198
25199
26209
27209
28209
292010
302010
312010

How May really feels in Owen Sound

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.

Owen Sound weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -10°7213.814.890.0
Feb-2° / -10°5410.61110.10.0
Mar / -5°6110.87.211.60.2
Apr11° / 81123.713.22.6
May18° / 8310.50.314.65.6
Jun23° / 12°8610.3015.36.7
Jul25° / 15°9012.20156.7
Aug24° / 14°8911.6013.96.8
Sep20° / 11°8811.6012.36.1
Oct13° / 8814.20.310.73.3
Nov / -0°8313.96.89.40.6
Dec / -5°7415.514.48.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44456
54456
64456
74456
84456
94456
104654
114555
124654
134654
144654
154753
164753
174753
184753
194852
204852
214951
224951
234951
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Owen Sound gets around 83 mm of rain and snow over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1363
2363
3353
4352
5352
6352
7352
8352
9352
10352
11351
12341
13341
14341
15341
16341
17341
18331
19331
20330
21320
22320
23320
24320
25320
26320
27320
28320
29320
30330
31330

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
297210
396310
496310
596310
696310
795410
895410
994420
1094420
1193520
1293520
1392530
1491630
1591630
1690640
1790640
1889740
1988750
2087751
2185861
2285861
2383971
2482972
25811072
26801082
27801082
28781183
29781183
30771283
31771283

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.

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
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

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 5:22 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 7:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:227:20
214.05:207:21
314.15:197:22
414.15:177:24
514.15:167:25
614.25:157:26
714.25:137:27
814.35:127:29
914.35:117:30
1014.45:097:31
1114.45:087:32
1214.45:077:33
1314.55:067:35
1414.55:047:36
1514.65:037:37
1614.65:027:38
1714.65:017:39
1814.75:007:40
1914.74:597:41
2014.74:587:42
2114.84:577:44
2214.84:567:45
2314.84:557:46
2414.94:547:47
2514.94:537:48
2614.94:527:49
2715.04:527:50
2815.04:517:51
2915.04:507:52
3015.14:497:53
3115.14:497:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Owen Sound?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Owen Sound for sightseeing.

What to pack for Owen Sound in May

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

In May, Owen Sound sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 7°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Owen Sound in May

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 21°C and coldest in March near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Aug 23 — about 0.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Owen Sound 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 Owen Sound peaks around June 20 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 20UV 8Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Owen Sound?

Owen Sound sits at 44.6°N, 80.9°W, 180 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Collingwood, 58 km away.

Topography around Owen Sound

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Owen Sound has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 222 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 m.

The land around Owen Sound is covered by trees (45%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and water (47%), trees (25%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
215 m
80 km
371 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Collingwood 58 km · Wasaga Beach 74 km · Midland 86 km · Alliston 97 km · Orangeville 99 km · Barrie 103 km · Fergus 106 km · Innisfil 107 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 Owen Sound (44.5672°, -80.9435°, elevation 180 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).