Suzhou weather in May
In May, Suzhou sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 142 mm of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.
Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Suzhou's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Suzhou's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 25°
- 5th warmest
- Overnight low
- 18°
- 8th coldest
- Rainfall
- 142 mm
- 10.8 wet days
- Daylight
- 13 h 36 min
- 5:06 AM – 6:41 PM
- Cloud cover
- 66%
- 9th clearest
- Wind
- 15 km/h
- 3rd windiest
- Solar energy
- 5.18 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 6.6
- out of 10
Suzhou is prefecture-level city in Jiangsu, China, former capital of the kingdom of Wu.
- Air quality
- Very high
- PM2.5 47.5 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 776/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- ~514 BCE
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.
A typical May day in Suzhou reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°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) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | 16 |
| 2 | 23 | 16 |
| 3 | 23 | 16 |
| 4 | 23 | 17 |
| 5 | 24 | 17 |
| 6 | 24 | 17 |
| 7 | 24 | 17 |
| 8 | 24 | 17 |
| 9 | 24 | 17 |
| 10 | 24 | 17 |
| 11 | 24 | 18 |
| 12 | 24 | 18 |
| 13 | 24 | 18 |
| 14 | 25 | 18 |
| 15 | 25 | 18 |
| 16 | 25 | 18 |
| 17 | 25 | 19 |
| 18 | 25 | 19 |
| 19 | 25 | 19 |
| 20 | 25 | 19 |
| 21 | 25 | 19 |
| 22 | 26 | 19 |
| 23 | 26 | 19 |
| 24 | 26 | 19 |
| 25 | 26 | 20 |
| 26 | 26 | 20 |
| 27 | 26 | 20 |
| 28 | 26 | 20 |
| 29 | 26 | 20 |
| 30 | 26 | 20 |
| 31 | 26 | 20 |
How May really feels in Suzhou
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.
Suzhou weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7° / 2° | 78 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 10.2 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 9° / 4° | 81 | 9.4 | 0.8 | 10.9 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 14° / 8° | 117 | 12.5 | 0.2 | 11.8 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 20° / 13° | 119 | 10.8 | 0 | 12.7 | 5.9 |
| May | 25° / 18° | 142 | 10.8 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 28° / 22° | 275 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 5.3 |
| Jul | 32° / 27° | 171 | 13.1 | 0 | 13.8 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 31° / 26° | 160 | 14.3 | 0 | 13.1 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 27° / 22° | 95 | 9.6 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.3 |
| Oct | 22° / 17° | 62 | 6.6 | 0 | 11.2 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 16° / 11° | 67 | 8.3 | 0 | 10.4 | 5.3 |
| Dec | 10° / 5° | 55 | 6.9 | 0.4 | 10 | 2.3 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 63%.
| 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 (%) | 38 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 36 |
| Cloudier (%) | 62 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 64 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 64 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 64 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38 | 62 |
| 2 | 37 | 63 |
| 3 | 37 | 63 |
| 4 | 37 | 63 |
| 5 | 38 | 62 |
| 6 | 38 | 62 |
| 7 | 37 | 63 |
| 8 | 37 | 63 |
| 9 | 37 | 63 |
| 10 | 37 | 63 |
| 11 | 37 | 63 |
| 12 | 36 | 64 |
| 13 | 37 | 63 |
| 14 | 37 | 63 |
| 15 | 37 | 63 |
| 16 | 36 | 64 |
| 17 | 38 | 62 |
| 18 | 38 | 62 |
| 19 | 38 | 62 |
| 20 | 37 | 63 |
| 21 | 38 | 62 |
| 22 | 38 | 62 |
| 23 | 37 | 63 |
| 24 | 38 | 62 |
| 25 | 38 | 62 |
| 26 | 38 | 62 |
| 27 | 37 | 63 |
| 28 | 38 | 62 |
| 29 | 37 | 63 |
| 30 | 36 | 64 |
| 31 | 36 | 64 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Suzhou gets around 142 mm of rain over 10.8 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 37% 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 (%) | 34 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 34 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 34 |
| 2 | 34 |
| 3 | 34 |
| 4 | 35 |
| 5 | 35 |
| 6 | 36 |
| 7 | 36 |
| 8 | 37 |
| 9 | 37 |
| 10 | 37 |
| 11 | 37 |
| 12 | 37 |
| 13 | 37 |
| 14 | 36 |
| 15 | 36 |
| 16 | 36 |
| 17 | 35 |
| 18 | 35 |
| 19 | 34 |
| 20 | 34 |
| 21 | 33 |
| 22 | 33 |
| 23 | 32 |
| 24 | 32 |
| 25 | 32 |
| 26 | 32 |
| 27 | 32 |
| 28 | 32 |
| 29 | 33 |
| 30 | 33 |
| 31 | 34 |
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 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 29% 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 (%) | 34 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Comfortable (%) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Humid (%) | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| Muggy (%) | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 37 |
| Oppressive (%) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Miserable (%) | 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | 29 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | 32 | 29 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | 30 | 29 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | 25 | 29 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | 23 | 29 | 28 | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | 22 | 29 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 1 |
| 11 | 20 | 28 | 30 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 12 | 19 | 28 | 30 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 13 | 18 | 28 | 31 | 17 | 5 | 1 |
| 14 | 17 | 28 | 31 | 18 | 5 | 1 |
| 15 | 16 | 28 | 32 | 19 | 5 | 1 |
| 16 | 14 | 27 | 32 | 20 | 5 | 1 |
| 17 | 13 | 27 | 33 | 21 | 6 | 1 |
| 18 | 12 | 26 | 33 | 22 | 6 | 1 |
| 19 | 11 | 26 | 33 | 23 | 6 | 1 |
| 20 | 10 | 25 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 1 |
| 21 | 9 | 24 | 34 | 25 | 7 | 1 |
| 22 | 8 | 24 | 34 | 26 | 7 | 1 |
| 23 | 7 | 23 | 35 | 27 | 7 | 1 |
| 24 | 6 | 22 | 35 | 28 | 8 | 1 |
| 25 | 6 | 20 | 35 | 29 | 8 | 1 |
| 26 | 5 | 19 | 36 | 31 | 9 | 1 |
| 27 | 4 | 18 | 36 | 32 | 10 | 1 |
| 28 | 4 | 17 | 36 | 33 | 10 | 1 |
| 29 | 3 | 15 | 35 | 34 | 11 | 1 |
| 30 | 3 | 14 | 35 | 36 | 12 | 1 |
| 31 | 2 | 13 | 34 | 37 | 13 | 1 |
Wind in May
Winds average 15 km/h in May.
Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 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) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | light breeze |
| 2 | 15 | light breeze |
| 3 | 15 | light breeze |
| 4 | 15 | light breeze |
| 5 | 15 | light breeze |
| 6 | 15 | light breeze |
| 7 | 15 | light breeze |
| 8 | 15 | light breeze |
| 9 | 15 | light breeze |
| 10 | 15 | light breeze |
| 11 | 15 | light breeze |
| 12 | 15 | light breeze |
| 13 | 15 | light breeze |
| 14 | 15 | light breeze |
| 15 | 15 | light breeze |
| 16 | 15 | light breeze |
| 17 | 15 | light breeze |
| 18 | 15 | light breeze |
| 19 | 15 | light breeze |
| 20 | 14 | light breeze |
| 21 | 14 | light breeze |
| 22 | 14 | light breeze |
| 23 | 14 | light breeze |
| 24 | 14 | light breeze |
| 25 | 14 | light breeze |
| 26 | 14 | light breeze |
| 27 | 14 | light breeze |
| 28 | 14 | light breeze |
| 29 | 14 | light breeze |
| 30 | 14 | light breeze |
| 31 | 14 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in May
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 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 5:19 AM to 4:59 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 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.9 | 13.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:19 | 5:18 | 5:17 | 5:16 | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:13 | 5:12 | 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:10 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:08 | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:06 | 5:05 | 5:04 | 5:04 | 5:03 | 5:03 | 5:02 | 5:02 | 5:01 | 5:01 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 4:59 | 4:59 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:31 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 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 | 6:47 | 6:47 | 6:48 | 6:49 | 6:49 | 6:50 | 6:50 | 6:51 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.2 | 5:19 | 6:31 |
| 2 | 13.2 | 5:18 | 6:32 |
| 3 | 13.3 | 5:17 | 6:32 |
| 4 | 13.3 | 5:16 | 6:33 |
| 5 | 13.3 | 5:15 | 6:34 |
| 6 | 13.3 | 5:14 | 6:35 |
| 7 | 13.4 | 5:13 | 6:35 |
| 8 | 13.4 | 5:12 | 6:36 |
| 9 | 13.4 | 5:11 | 6:37 |
| 10 | 13.4 | 5:11 | 6:37 |
| 11 | 13.5 | 5:10 | 6:38 |
| 12 | 13.5 | 5:09 | 6:39 |
| 13 | 13.5 | 5:08 | 6:39 |
| 14 | 13.5 | 5:08 | 6:40 |
| 15 | 13.6 | 5:07 | 6:41 |
| 16 | 13.6 | 5:06 | 6:41 |
| 17 | 13.6 | 5:06 | 6:42 |
| 18 | 13.6 | 5:05 | 6:43 |
| 19 | 13.7 | 5:04 | 6:43 |
| 20 | 13.7 | 5:04 | 6:44 |
| 21 | 13.7 | 5:03 | 6:45 |
| 22 | 13.7 | 5:03 | 6:45 |
| 23 | 13.7 | 5:02 | 6:46 |
| 24 | 13.8 | 5:02 | 6:47 |
| 25 | 13.8 | 5:01 | 6:47 |
| 26 | 13.8 | 5:01 | 6:48 |
| 27 | 13.8 | 5:00 | 6:49 |
| 28 | 13.8 | 5:00 | 6:49 |
| 29 | 13.8 | 5:00 | 6:50 |
| 30 | 13.9 | 4:59 | 6:50 |
| 31 | 13.9 | 4:59 | 6:51 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.18 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.24 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.18 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) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| 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 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 2 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 3 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 4 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 5 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 6 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 7 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 8 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 9 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 10 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 11 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 12 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 13 | 5.1 | Bright |
| 14 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 15 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 16 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 17 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 18 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 19 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 20 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 21 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 22 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 23 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 24 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 25 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 26 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 27 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 28 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 29 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 30 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 31 | 5.2 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Suzhou
In May, Suzhou sits inside its pacific typhoon and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Suzhou sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Suzhou's rainy season runs May–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is May a good time to visit Suzhou?
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 Suzhou for sightseeing.
What to pack for Suzhou in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Suzhou sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.
UV index in Suzhou in May
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 Suzhou peaks around September 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Suzhou 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 Suzhou is worst in December — around 67 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 30 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Suzhou's WHO annual average of 47.5 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 65 | 57 | 54 | 50 | 42 | 36 | 31 | 30 | 38 | 45 | 56 | 67 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 57 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 54 | Poor |
| Apr | 50 | Poor |
| May | 42 | Poor |
| Jun | 36 | Poor |
| Jul | 31 | Moderate |
| Aug | 30 | Moderate |
| Sep | 38 | Poor |
| Oct | 45 | Poor |
| Nov | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 67 | Unhealthy |
Where is Suzhou?
Suzhou sits at 31.3°N, 120.6°E, 10 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Wuxi, 41 km away.
Topography around Suzhou
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Suzhou.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Suzhou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 329 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 m.
The land around Suzhou is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (33%), artificial surfaces (30%) and water (21%) 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 Suzhou (31.3041°, 120.5954°, elevation 10 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). 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).