Odense weather in May

In May, Odense sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 54 mm of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 15.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Odense's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Odense's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
54 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 54 min
4:17 AM – 8:12 PM
Cloud cover
61%
1st clearest
Wind
16 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Odense is main city of the island of Funen, Denmark.

Air quality
Good
PM10 20.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
592/km²
people per km²
Founded
1355

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 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Odense reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1146
2146
3156
4156
5156
6156
7156
8157
9157
10157
11167
12167
13167
14167
15167
16168
17168
18168
19178
20178
21178
22178
23179
24179
25179
26189
27189
28189
29189
30189
311810

How May really feels in Odense

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.

Odense 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°47113.57.50.0
Feb / -0°389.13.49.20.0
Mar / 41101.911.40.8
Apr12° / 4210.20.413.82.9
May16° / 5410.8015.95.0
Jun19° / 11°6911.6017.15.8
Jul22° / 13°7011.9016.66.3
Aug21° / 13°7012.2014.86.2
Sep17° / 10°5110.1012.55.4
Oct12° / 5410.9010.13.2
Nov / 4410.50.88.11.1
Dec / 4810.52.16.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24357
34456
44555
54555
64654
74753
84753
94654
104654
114654
124654
134555
144555
154555
164456
174357
184357
194258
204258
214159
224159
234060
244060
254258
264258
274258
284258
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Odense gets around 54 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.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1135
1235
1335
1436
1536
1636
1737
1837
1937
2037
2137
2237
2336
2436
2536
2636
2735
2835
2935
3035
3134

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 95% 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
79910
89910
99910
109910
119820
129820
139730
149730
159640
169640
179550
189550
199460
209460
219370
229370
239370
249280
259181
269181
279181
289091
299091
309091
319091

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:48 AM to 3:55 AM, and sunset from 7:44 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:487:44
215.04:457:46
315.14:437:48
415.14:417:50
515.24:397:52
615.34:377:54
715.34:357:55
815.44:327:57
915.54:307:59
1015.54:288:01
1115.64:268:03
1215.74:248:05
1315.74:238:07
1415.84:218:09
1515.94:198:11
1615.94:178:12
1716.04:158:14
1816.04:138:16
1916.14:128:18
2016.24:108:19
2116.24:098:21
2216.34:078:23
2316.34:058:25
2416.44:048:26
2516.44:038:28
2616.54:018:29
2716.54:008:31
2816.63:588:32
2916.63:578:34
3016.73:568:35
3116.73:558:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Odense?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Odense for sightseeing.

What to pack for Odense in May

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

In May, Odense sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Odense 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 at the nearest coast (about 25 km away) 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
Apr5Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Odense 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 Odense peaks around June 20 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 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 20UV 6Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Odense?

Odense sits at 55.4°N, 10.4°E, 17 m above sea level, in Denmark. The nearest listed city is Nyborg, 27 km away.

NyborgSvendborgMiddelfartFredericiaKalundborgKoldingHaderslevHedensted

Topography around Odense

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Odense has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 129 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 m.

The land around Odense is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, cropland (42%), trees (21%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
48 m
16 km
129 m
80 km
197 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Nyborg 27 km · Svendborg 40 km · Middelfart 43 km · Fredericia 44 km · Kalundborg 54 km · Kolding 59 km · Haderslev 59 km · Hedensted 60 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 Odense (55.3959°, 10.3883°, elevation 17 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).