Aarhus weather in May

In May, Aarhus sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 55 mm of rain across 11 wet days and about 16 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 hours at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Aarhus's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aarhus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
55 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
16 hours
4:14 AM – 8:17 PM
Cloud cover
60%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Aarhus is city in Central Denmark Region.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,135/km²
people per km²
Founded
~800 CE

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 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Aarhus reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1136
2136
3136
4146
5146
6146
7146
8146
9146
10147
11147
12157
13157
14157
15157
16157
17157
18158
19158
20168
21168
22168
23168
24168
25168
26169
27169
28179
29179
30179
31179

How May really feels in Aarhus

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.

Aarhus weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°4910.93.97.30.0
Feb / -1°409.149.10.0
Mar / 429.72.411.40.6
Apr11° / 42100.513.82.6
May15° / 55110164.5
Jun18° / 10°6811.2017.25.6
Jul21° / 13°6611.2016.76.2
Aug20° / 13°7012.1014.96.0
Sep17° / 10°5410.4012.55.0
Oct12° / 6111.10.110.12.9
Nov / 4910.70.97.91.0
Dec / 50112.66.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34555
44654
54654
64753
74852
84852
94951
104951
114852
124852
134852
144753
154654
164555
174555
184456
194357
204258
214258
224060
234060
244159
254159
264159
274159
284060
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Aarhus gets around 55 mm of rain over 11 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
635
735
836
936
1036
1137
1237
1338
1438
1538
1639
1739
1838
1938
2038
2137
2237
2336
2436
2535
2634
2734
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
99910
109910
119910
129820
139820
149730
159730
169640
179550
189550
199460
209460
219370
229370
239280
249280
259280
269190
279190
289190
299091
3089101
3189101

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:46 AM to 3:51 AM, and sunset from 7:47 PM to 8:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.04:467:47
215.14:437:49
315.24:417:51
415.24:397:53
515.34:377:55
615.44:347:57
715.54:327:59
815.54:308:01
915.64:288:03
1015.74:268:05
1115.74:248:07
1215.84:228:09
1315.94:208:11
1415.94:188:13
1516.04:168:15
1616.04:148:17
1716.14:128:19
1816.24:108:21
1916.24:098:22
2016.34:078:24
2116.34:058:26
2216.44:048:28
2316.54:028:29
2416.54:008:31
2516.63:598:33
2616.63:578:35
2716.73:568:36
2816.73:558:38
2916.83:538:39
3016.83:528:41
3116.93:518:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.56 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Aarhus?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Aarhus for sightseeing.

What to pack for Aarhus in May

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

In May, Aarhus sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Aarhus in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 18°C and coldest in February near 2°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Aarhus in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Aarhus peaks around June 22 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Aarhus?

Aarhus sits at 56.2°N, 10.2°E, 10 m above sea level, in Denmark. The nearest listed city is Viby, 5.0 km away.

RandersHorsensSilkeborgHedenstedViborgVejle

Topography around Aarhus

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aarhus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 185 m.

The land around Aarhus is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), water (31%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (33%) and cropland (26%) within 16 km, and water (42%) and cropland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
123 m
80 km
185 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Viby 5.0 km · Tilst 7.0 km · Randers 35 km · Horsens 40 km · Silkeborg 41 km · Hedensted 53 km · Viborg 60 km · Vejle 65 km

Denmark travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 92% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$76,970
2025
Happiness
7.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 611
Religion
Evangelical Lutheran 71%other/none/unspecified 24%Muslim 4%

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 Aarhus (56.1567°, 10.2108°, 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. 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).