Ningbo weather in May

In May, Ningbo sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 162 mm of rain across 12.6 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 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ningbo's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ningbo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
162 mm
12.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:05 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
69%
10th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Ningbo is prefecture-level city in Zhejiang, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 35.9 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
398/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 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ningbo reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12215
22316
32316
42316
52316
62316
72316
82317
92417
102417
112417
122417
132417
142417
152418
162418
172418
182418
192518
202518
212518
222518
232519
242519
252519
262519
272519
282519
292519
302620
312620

How May really feels in Ningbo

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.

Ningbo 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8710.9110.31.7
Feb10° / 7910.30.810.92.3
Mar14° / 13013.80.111.83.7
Apr19° / 13°12912.8012.75.6
May24° / 18°16212.6013.56.3
Jun27° / 22°29217.3013.94.9
Jul32° / 26°15814013.73.5
Aug32° / 26°17516.2013.13.7
Sep27° / 23°15413.2012.25.7
Oct23° / 18°907.5011.37.1
Nov18° / 12°799.7010.55.6
Dec12° / 758.40.410.13.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53763
63763
73664
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133565
143565
153466
163466
173466
183466
193367
203367
213367
223466
233367
243466
253466
263466
273367
283367
293367
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ningbo gets around 162 mm of rain over 12.6 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 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
541
641
742
842
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1842
1941
2041
2141
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2941
3041
3142

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13230231410
23030241510
32830251520
42630261620
52430281620
62229291730
72129291830
82028301840
91828311940
101727321950
111627322050
121526332050
131426342160
141326342260
151225342260
161025352370
17924352470
18824352580
19723342690
20723342790
216223428100
225213429100
234213430110
244203330121
253193332121
263173333131
272163334141
282153335151
292133236161
302123137171
311113138191

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 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 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:17 AM to 4:58 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:176:25
213.25:166:26
313.25:156:26
413.25:146:27
513.25:136:28
613.35:126:28
713.35:126:29
813.35:116:30
913.35:106:30
1013.45:096:31
1113.45:096:32
1213.45:086:32
1313.45:076:33
1413.55:066:34
1513.55:066:34
1613.55:056:35
1713.55:056:36
1813.55:046:36
1913.65:036:37
2013.65:036:38
2113.65:026:38
2213.65:026:39
2313.65:016:39
2413.75:016:40
2513.75:006:41
2613.75:006:41
2713.75:006:42
2813.74:596:42
2913.74:596:43
3013.74:596:44
3113.84:586:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.43 kWh/m² to a high of 5.49 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 4.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ningbo

In seasonPeak

In May, Ningbo sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Ningbo sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Ningbo?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ningbo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ningbo in May

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

In May, Ningbo sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ningbo in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 30 to Nov 3 — about 5.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May18Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Ningbo in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ningbo peaks around July 17 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highVery highHighModerateJul 17UV 11Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7Very high
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct5High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Ningbo 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 Ningbo is worst in December — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (August, 22 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Ningbo's WHO annual average of 35.9 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2451 µg/m³Aug 1822 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan51Poor
Feb48Poor
Mar46Poor
Apr42Poor
May34Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov38Poor
Dec51Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Ningbo?

Ningbo sits at 29.9°N, 121.5°E, 15 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Hangzhou, 141 km away.

NanjingFuzhou

Topography around Ningbo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ningbo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 278 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,055 m.

The land around Ningbo is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (44%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
278 m
80 km
1,055 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hangzhou 141 km · Shanghai 150 km · Pingyao 163 km · Suzhou 183 km · Wuxi 223 km · Tunxi 313 km · Nanjing 359 km · Fuzhou 478 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
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Ningbo (29.8782°, 121.5494°, elevation 15 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).