Rijeka weather in May

In May, Rijeka sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 120 mm of precipitation across 13.7 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rijeka's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rijeka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Precipitation
120 mm
13.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
4:38 AM – 7:19 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.6 µg/m³ · 2019

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 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Rijeka reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11710
21710
31710
41710
51711
61711
71711
81811
91811
101811
111811
121811
131811
141812
151812
161812
171912
181912
191912
201912
211912
221913
231913
242013
252013
262013
272013
282013
292013
302014
312114

How May really feels in Rijeka

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.

Rijeka weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12311.54.28.90.2
Feb / 12810.74.710.10.7
Mar10° / 12311.63.211.62.3
Apr14° / 114130.913.23.8
May19° / 12°12013.70.114.65.5
Jun23° / 16°9412015.46.7
Jul25° / 18°7710015.17.2
Aug25° / 18°908.8013.97.3
Sep20° / 14°17711.8012.36.2
Oct16° / 10°20813.40.510.74.5
Nov11° / 22314.429.32.2
Dec / 16912.248.60.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
35050
45050
55149
65248
75248
85248
95248
105347
115347
125347
135347
145446
155446
165446
175545
185545
195545
205644
215743
225743
235743
245842
255842
265842
275842
285743
295743
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rijeka gets around 120 mm of rain and snow over 13.7 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 44% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
545
645
745
845
944
1044
1144
1244
1344
1444
1545
1645
1745
1845
1945
2044
2144
2244
2344
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2945
3045
3145

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 78% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29640
39640
49550
59460
69370
79280
89280
99190
1090100
1189110
1287130
1386140
1485150
1583170
1681181
1780191
1878211
1976222
2075232
2172253
2270264
2369274
2466295
2564306
2662326
2760337
2857358
2955369
30523810
31493911

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:59 AM to 4:25 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:597:00
214.14:577:01
314.14:567:03
414.24:547:04
514.24:537:05
614.34:517:06
714.34:507:08
814.34:487:09
914.44:477:10
1014.44:467:11
1114.54:447:13
1214.54:437:14
1314.64:427:15
1414.64:417:16
1514.64:397:17
1614.74:387:19
1714.74:377:20
1814.74:367:21
1914.84:357:22
2014.84:347:23
2114.94:337:24
2214.94:327:25
2314.94:317:27
2415.04:307:28
2515.04:297:29
2615.04:287:30
2715.14:287:31
2815.14:277:32
2915.14:267:33
3015.14:257:34
3115.24:257:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.62 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rijeka?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Rijeka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rijeka in May

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

In May, Rijeka sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Rijeka in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 10 to Sep 22 — about 3.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May17Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov15Cool
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Rijeka 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 Rijeka peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 17UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rijeka?

Rijeka sits at 45.3°N, 14.4°E, 12 m above sea level, in Croatia. The nearest listed city is Cres, 41 km away.

CresPostojnaDivačaKoperTriesteRovinjPulaPiran

Topography around Rijeka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rijeka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 379 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,375 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,767 m.

The land around Rijeka is covered by water (44%), trees (29%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
379 m
16 km
1,375 m
80 km
1,767 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Cres 41 km · Postojna 53 km · Divača 54 km · Koper 61 km · Trieste 63 km · Rovinj 69 km · Pula 69 km · Piran 72 km

Croatia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 53% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$27,104
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
87%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
7.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 617
Religion
Roman Catholic 79%other Christian 5%none or atheist 5%Orthodox 3%

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 Rijeka (45.3267°, 14.4424°, 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. 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).