Peterborough weather in May

In May, Peterborough sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 82 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Peterborough's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Peterborough's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
82 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:52 AM – 7:27 PM
Cloud cover
64%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Peterborough is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,469/km²
people per km²
Founded
1819

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 16°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Peterborough reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 25°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)
1155
2155
3166
4166
5166
6166
7176
8177
9177
10177
11177
12187
13187
14188
15188
16188
17188
18198
19198
20199
21199
22199
23209
242010
252010
262010
272010
282110
292111
302111
312111

How May really feels in Peterborough

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.

Peterborough 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° / -11°6810.79.49.10.0
Feb-2° / -11°528.2710.20.0
Mar / -5°6310.3611.60.2
Apr11° / 8711.52.513.22.7
May18° / 8210.7014.55.7
Jun23° / 13°9210.9015.36.6
Jul26° / 16°8810.90156.6
Aug25° / 15°8510.5013.86.9
Sep21° / 11°859.6012.36.5
Oct13° / 8511.50.410.83.6
Nov / -1°7410.33.19.40.6
Dec / -7°6810.67.18.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 (%)
13862
23862
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
94060
103961
113961
123961
133961
143862
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
224159
234159
244159
254258
264159
274159
284159
294258
304258
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Peterborough gets around 82 mm of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2335
2435
2535
2636
2736
2837
2937
3038
3138

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
298200
397210
496310
596310
696310
796310
895410
995410
1095410
1194510
1293520
1393520
1493520
1592620
1691630
1791630
1889740
1989740
2087850
2186860
2285861
2383971
2482981
25811081
26801091
27791191
287811101
297712101
307513102
317513102

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 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light 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
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

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 5:12 AM to 4:39 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:127:09
214.05:107:10
314.05:097:11
414.15:087:13
514.15:067:14
614.25:057:15
714.25:037:16
814.35:027:17
914.35:017:19
1014.34:597:20
1114.44:587:21
1214.44:577:22
1314.54:567:23
1414.54:557:24
1514.54:537:26
1614.64:527:27
1714.64:517:28
1814.64:507:29
1914.74:497:30
2014.74:487:31
2114.84:477:32
2214.84:467:33
2314.84:457:34
2414.94:447:35
2514.94:447:36
2614.94:437:37
2714.94:427:38
2815.04:417:39
2915.04:417:40
3015.04:407:41
3115.04:397:42

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 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 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
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Peterborough?

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
2.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Peterborough for sightseeing.

What to pack for Peterborough in May

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

In May, Peterborough sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Peterborough in May

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 48 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in March near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 25 to Sep 5 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May6Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul20Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Peterborough in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Peterborough peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 11 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 10UV 8Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Peterborough?

Peterborough sits at 44.3°N, 78.3°W, 188 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Lindsay, 34 km away.

Topography around Peterborough

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Peterborough has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 208 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 485 m.

The land around Peterborough is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, trees (41%), cropland (27%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
80 m
16 km
188 m
80 km
485 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Lindsay 34 km · Cobourg 40 km · Bowmanville 52 km · Quinte West 61 km · Oshawa 62 km · Brooklin 64 km · Uxbridge 68 km · Whitby 68 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 Peterborough (44.3001°, -78.3162°, elevation 188 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).