Sønderborg weather in May

In May, Sønderborg sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 51 mm of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 15.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sønderborg's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sønderborg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
51 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:22 AM – 8:12 PM
Cloud cover
61%
1st clearest
Wind
16 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Sønderborg is town in Denmark.

Density
2,072/km²
people per km²
Founded
1256

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 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sønderborg reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°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
2146
3147
4147
5147
6147
7147
8147
9157
10157
11157
12158
13158
14158
15158
16158
17168
18168
19169
20169
21169
22169
23169
24179
25179
26179
271710
281710
291710
301710
311710

How May really feels in Sønderborg

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.

Sønderborg 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 / 5611.637.60.0
Feb / 439.53.29.30.0
Mar / 4610.11.811.40.7
Apr11° / 399.30.313.82.7
May15° / 5110.3015.84.7
Jun19° / 11°6111.40175.7
Jul21° / 14°6312.1016.56.1
Aug21° / 14°6711.8014.76.1
Sep17° / 11°5510.2012.55.2
Oct12° / 5811.9010.23.1
Nov / 5111.10.68.11.1
Dec / 5611.62.170.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34258
44357
54357
64456
74456
84555
94555
104555
114555
124654
134555
144555
154456
164357
174357
184258
194060
204060
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274258
284258
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sønderborg gets around 51 mm of rain over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
234
334
433
533
633
733
832
932
1032
1133
1233
1333
1433
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2633
2733
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 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
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119820
129820
139820
149730
159640
169640
179550
189550
199460
209460
219370
229370
239280
249280
259091
269091
279091
2889101
2989101
3089101
3187112

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 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:52 AM to 4:00 AM, and sunset from 7:44 PM to 8:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:527:44
214.94:497:46
315.04:477:48
415.14:457:50
515.24:437:52
615.24:417:54
715.34:397:56
815.34:377:58
915.44:358:00
1015.54:338:02
1115.54:318:03
1215.64:298:05
1315.74:278:07
1415.74:258:09
1515.84:238:11
1615.84:228:12
1715.94:208:14
1816.04:188:16
1916.04:178:18
2016.14:158:19
2116.14:138:21
2216.24:128:23
2316.24:108:24
2416.34:098:26
2516.34:088:28
2616.44:068:29
2716.44:058:31
2816.54:048:32
2916.54:028:33
3016.64:018:35
3116.64:008:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.4 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.35 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sønderborg?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sønderborg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sønderborg in May

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

In May, Sønderborg sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sønderborg 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 22 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°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°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr5Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Sønderborg 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 Sønderborg peaks around July 17 at about 5 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 17UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sønderborg?

Sønderborg sits at 54.9°N, 9.8°E, 15 m above sea level, in Denmark. The nearest listed city is Flensburg, 26 km away.

FlensburgAabenraaHaderslevSchleswigEckernfördeSvendborgTønderOdense

Topography around Sønderborg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sønderborg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m around an average of 13 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 147 m.

The land around Sønderborg is covered by water (31%), grassland (23%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (39%) and cropland (34%) within 16 km, and cropland (35%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
66 m
16 km
92 m
80 km
147 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Flensburg 26 km · Aabenraa 28 km · Haderslev 42 km · Schleswig 46 km · Eckernförde 49 km · Svendborg 55 km · Tønder 59 km · Odense 66 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 Sønderborg (54.909°, 9.7892°, 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. 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).