Hangzhou weather in May
In May, Hangzhou sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 157 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.
Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.
Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hangzhou's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hangzhou's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 27°
- 5th warmest
- Overnight low
- 18°
- 8th coldest
- Rainfall
- 157 mm
- 12.2 wet days
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min
- 5:10 AM – 6:41 PM
- Cloud cover
- 69%
- 8th clearest
- Wind
- 9 km/h
- 6th windiest
- Solar energy
- 4.85 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 6.1
- out of 10
Hangzhou is capital of Zhejiang Province, China.
- Air quality
- High
- PM2.5 29.5 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 548/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.
A typical May day in Hangzhou reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 16 |
| 2 | 25 | 16 |
| 3 | 25 | 16 |
| 4 | 25 | 16 |
| 5 | 25 | 17 |
| 6 | 26 | 17 |
| 7 | 26 | 17 |
| 8 | 26 | 17 |
| 9 | 26 | 17 |
| 10 | 26 | 17 |
| 11 | 26 | 17 |
| 12 | 26 | 18 |
| 13 | 26 | 18 |
| 14 | 26 | 18 |
| 15 | 26 | 18 |
| 16 | 27 | 18 |
| 17 | 27 | 18 |
| 18 | 27 | 18 |
| 19 | 27 | 19 |
| 20 | 27 | 19 |
| 21 | 27 | 19 |
| 22 | 27 | 19 |
| 23 | 27 | 19 |
| 24 | 27 | 19 |
| 25 | 27 | 19 |
| 26 | 27 | 19 |
| 27 | 28 | 20 |
| 28 | 28 | 20 |
| 29 | 28 | 20 |
| 30 | 28 | 20 |
| 31 | 28 | 20 |
How May really feels in Hangzhou
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.
May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Hangzhou weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9° / 2° | 80 | 10.4 | 1.6 | 10.3 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 11° / 4° | 73 | 9.9 | 1 | 10.9 | 2.7 |
| Mar | 16° / 8° | 119 | 13.5 | 0.2 | 11.8 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 22° / 13° | 131 | 12.1 | 0 | 12.7 | 6.0 |
| May | 27° / 18° | 157 | 12.2 | 0 | 13.5 | 6.1 |
| Jun | 29° / 22° | 303 | 16.2 | 0 | 13.9 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 34° / 26° | 173 | 12.9 | 0 | 13.8 | 2.8 |
| Aug | 33° / 26° | 141 | 14.8 | 0 | 13.1 | 3.0 |
| Sep | 29° / 22° | 98 | 10.1 | 0 | 12.2 | 5.6 |
| Oct | 24° / 16° | 59 | 6.3 | 0 | 11.3 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 18° / 10° | 65 | 8.5 | 0 | 10.5 | 5.9 |
| Dec | 12° / 4° | 59 | 7.5 | 0.4 | 10.1 | 3.2 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 |
| Cloudier (%) | 66 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 70 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | 66 |
| 2 | 34 | 66 |
| 3 | 35 | 65 |
| 4 | 35 | 65 |
| 5 | 35 | 65 |
| 6 | 35 | 65 |
| 7 | 35 | 65 |
| 8 | 35 | 65 |
| 9 | 35 | 65 |
| 10 | 33 | 67 |
| 11 | 33 | 67 |
| 12 | 33 | 67 |
| 13 | 33 | 67 |
| 14 | 33 | 67 |
| 15 | 34 | 66 |
| 16 | 34 | 66 |
| 17 | 34 | 66 |
| 18 | 34 | 66 |
| 19 | 33 | 67 |
| 20 | 33 | 67 |
| 21 | 33 | 67 |
| 22 | 33 | 67 |
| 23 | 33 | 67 |
| 24 | 33 | 67 |
| 25 | 33 | 67 |
| 26 | 33 | 67 |
| 27 | 32 | 68 |
| 28 | 32 | 68 |
| 29 | 32 | 68 |
| 30 | 31 | 69 |
| 31 | 30 | 70 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Hangzhou gets around 157 mm of rain over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 37 | 37 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 40 | 41 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 37 |
| 2 | 37 |
| 3 | 37 |
| 4 | 38 |
| 5 | 38 |
| 6 | 39 |
| 7 | 39 |
| 8 | 40 |
| 9 | 40 |
| 10 | 40 |
| 11 | 40 |
| 12 | 40 |
| 13 | 40 |
| 14 | 40 |
| 15 | 40 |
| 16 | 40 |
| 17 | 40 |
| 18 | 40 |
| 19 | 40 |
| 20 | 40 |
| 21 | 40 |
| 22 | 39 |
| 23 | 39 |
| 24 | 39 |
| 25 | 39 |
| 26 | 39 |
| 27 | 39 |
| 28 | 39 |
| 29 | 39 |
| 30 | 40 |
| 31 | 41 |
Humidity in May
Most of May feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 32% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 33% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 32 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Comfortable (%) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| Humid (%) | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 |
| Muggy (%) | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
| Oppressive (%) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | 26 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| 5 | 25 | 25 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | 23 | 24 | 30 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | 22 | 24 | 31 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| 9 | 21 | 24 | 32 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | 23 | 32 | 18 | 7 | 0 |
| 11 | 19 | 23 | 33 | 18 | 7 | 0 |
| 12 | 18 | 23 | 33 | 18 | 7 | 0 |
| 13 | 17 | 23 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | 16 | 23 | 34 | 19 | 8 | 0 |
| 15 | 15 | 22 | 34 | 20 | 8 | 1 |
| 16 | 14 | 22 | 34 | 21 | 9 | 1 |
| 17 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 21 | 9 | 1 |
| 18 | 11 | 21 | 34 | 22 | 10 | 1 |
| 19 | 10 | 21 | 34 | 23 | 11 | 1 |
| 20 | 9 | 20 | 34 | 24 | 12 | 1 |
| 21 | 9 | 20 | 34 | 24 | 13 | 1 |
| 22 | 8 | 19 | 34 | 25 | 13 | 1 |
| 23 | 7 | 18 | 34 | 26 | 14 | 1 |
| 24 | 6 | 17 | 34 | 26 | 15 | 1 |
| 25 | 5 | 17 | 34 | 27 | 16 | 1 |
| 26 | 4 | 16 | 34 | 28 | 17 | 1 |
| 27 | 4 | 15 | 34 | 29 | 17 | 1 |
| 28 | 3 | 14 | 34 | 30 | 18 | 1 |
| 29 | 3 | 13 | 33 | 31 | 19 | 1 |
| 30 | 2 | 12 | 32 | 32 | 20 | 1 |
| 31 | 2 | 11 | 31 | 33 | 22 | 2 |
Wind in May
Winds average 9 km/h in May.
Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | calm |
| 2 | 9 | calm |
| 3 | 9 | calm |
| 4 | 9 | calm |
| 5 | 9 | calm |
| 6 | 9 | calm |
| 7 | 9 | calm |
| 8 | 9 | calm |
| 9 | 9 | calm |
| 10 | 9 | calm |
| 11 | 9 | calm |
| 12 | 9 | calm |
| 13 | 9 | calm |
| 14 | 9 | calm |
| 15 | 9 | calm |
| 16 | 9 | calm |
| 17 | 9 | calm |
| 18 | 9 | calm |
| 19 | 9 | calm |
| 20 | 9 | calm |
| 21 | 9 | calm |
| 22 | 9 | calm |
| 23 | 9 | calm |
| 24 | 9 | calm |
| 25 | 9 | calm |
| 26 | 9 | calm |
| 27 | 9 | calm |
| 28 | 9 | calm |
| 29 | 9 | calm |
| 30 | 9 | calm |
| 31 | 9 | calm |
Sunrise & sunset in May
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:22 AM to 5:03 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:51 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:22 | 5:21 | 5:20 | 5:19 | 5:18 | 5:17 | 5:17 | 5:16 | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:13 | 5:13 | 5:12 | 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:10 | 5:09 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:08 | 5:07 | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:06 | 5:05 | 5:05 | 5:04 | 5:04 | 5:04 | 5:03 | 5:03 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:31 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:34 | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:36 | 6:37 | 6:37 | 6:38 | 6:39 | 6:39 | 6:40 | 6:41 | 6:41 | 6:42 | 6:43 | 6:43 | 6:44 | 6:45 | 6:45 | 6:46 | 6:46 | 6:47 | 6:48 | 6:48 | 6:49 | 6:49 | 6:50 | 6:51 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.2 | 5:22 | 6:31 |
| 2 | 13.2 | 5:21 | 6:32 |
| 3 | 13.2 | 5:20 | 6:33 |
| 4 | 13.2 | 5:19 | 6:33 |
| 5 | 13.3 | 5:18 | 6:34 |
| 6 | 13.3 | 5:17 | 6:35 |
| 7 | 13.3 | 5:17 | 6:35 |
| 8 | 13.3 | 5:16 | 6:36 |
| 9 | 13.4 | 5:15 | 6:37 |
| 10 | 13.4 | 5:14 | 6:37 |
| 11 | 13.4 | 5:13 | 6:38 |
| 12 | 13.4 | 5:13 | 6:39 |
| 13 | 13.5 | 5:12 | 6:39 |
| 14 | 13.5 | 5:11 | 6:40 |
| 15 | 13.5 | 5:11 | 6:41 |
| 16 | 13.5 | 5:10 | 6:41 |
| 17 | 13.5 | 5:09 | 6:42 |
| 18 | 13.6 | 5:09 | 6:43 |
| 19 | 13.6 | 5:08 | 6:43 |
| 20 | 13.6 | 5:08 | 6:44 |
| 21 | 13.6 | 5:07 | 6:45 |
| 22 | 13.6 | 5:07 | 6:45 |
| 23 | 13.7 | 5:06 | 6:46 |
| 24 | 13.7 | 5:06 | 6:46 |
| 25 | 13.7 | 5:05 | 6:47 |
| 26 | 13.7 | 5:05 | 6:48 |
| 27 | 13.7 | 5:04 | 6:48 |
| 28 | 13.7 | 5:04 | 6:49 |
| 29 | 13.8 | 5:04 | 6:49 |
| 30 | 13.8 | 5:03 | 6:50 |
| 31 | 13.8 | 5:03 | 6:51 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.85 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.27 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 4.85 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 2 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 3 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 4 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 5 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 6 | 4.9 | Bright |
| 7 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 8 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 9 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 10 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 11 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 12 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 13 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 14 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 15 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 16 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 17 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 18 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 19 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 20 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 21 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 22 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 23 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 24 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 25 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 26 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 27 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 28 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 29 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 30 | 4.8 | Bright |
| 31 | 4.7 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Hangzhou
In May, Hangzhou sits inside its pacific typhoon and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Hangzhou sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Hangzhou's rainy season runs May–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is May a good time to visit Hangzhou?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is a reasonable time to visit Hangzhou for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Hangzhou in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Hangzhou sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Hangzhou in May
The nearest coast averages about 19°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 45 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 7°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 22 to Oct 29 — about 5.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 8 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 12 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Bracing |
| Feb | 7 | Bracing |
| Mar | 10 | Bracing |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 24 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 26 | Warm |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 12 | Bracing |
UV index in Hangzhou in May
Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hangzhou peaks around July 20 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Hangzhou in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Hangzhou is worst in December — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 18 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Hangzhou's WHO annual average of 29.5 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 39 | 37 | 36 | 32 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 33 | 39 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | Poor |
| Feb | 37 | Poor |
| Mar | 36 | Poor |
| Apr | 32 | Moderate |
| May | 27 | Moderate |
| Jun | 24 | Moderate |
| Jul | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 23 | Moderate |
| Oct | 27 | Moderate |
| Nov | 33 | Moderate |
| Dec | 39 | Poor |
Where is Hangzhou?
Hangzhou sits at 30.3°N, 120.2°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Pingyao, 22 km away.
Topography around Hangzhou
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Hangzhou.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Hangzhou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 415 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,634 m.
The land around Hangzhou is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (48%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.
China travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / I
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 47% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $13,862
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.1 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 0.5
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 17.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 464
- Religion
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 Hangzhou (30.2936°, 120.1614°, elevation 12 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).