Kuressaare weather in May

In May, Kuressaare sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 16.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 18 min at the start of May to 17 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kuressaare's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kuressaare's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
16 h 24 min
4:13 AM – 8:39 PM
Cloud cover
52%
1st clearest
Wind
17 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Kuressaare is town on Saaremaa island in Estonia.

Density
818/km²
people per km²
Founded
1154

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 11°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kuressaare reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1114
2114
3115
4125
5125
6125
7125
8125
9125
10136
11136
12136
13136
14136
15136
16137
17147
18147
19147
20147
21148
22148
23158
24158
25158
26158
27159
28169
29169
30169
31169

How May really feels in Kuressaare

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.

Kuressaare weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°4010.16.46.90.0
Feb-1° / -4°3596.48.90.0
Mar / -3°317.74.711.40.0
Apr / 348.61.5141.4
May14° / 367.40.116.44.2
Jun18° / 11°5510017.85.8
Jul21° / 15°619.8017.26.6
Aug20° / 14°6511.1015.16.2
Sep16° / 11°499.4012.54.9
Oct10° / 5611.10.19.92.2
Nov / 5211.42.57.50.4
Dec / -1°4611.45.56.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35644
45743
55743
65743
75743
85743
95842
105842
115941
125941
135941
145941
155941
165941
175941
185941
195842
205743
215743
225743
235743
245842
255842
265743
275743
285842
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kuressaare gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 7.4 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 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
424
524
623
723
822
922
1022
1122
1222
1322
1422
1522
1622
1723
1823
1924
2024
2124
2225
2325
2425
2526
2626
2726
2826
2926
3026
3126

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 97% 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
129910
139820
149820
159730
169730
179730
189640
199640
209640
219550
229550
239451
249361
259361
269361
279361
289271
299271
309271
319181

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min at the start of May to 17 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 120 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:48 AM to 3:47 AM, and sunset from 8:06 PM to 9:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.34:488:06
215.44:468:08
315.54:438:11
415.54:418:13
515.64:388:15
615.74:368:17
715.84:348:20
815.84:318:22
915.94:298:24
1016.04:278:26
1116.14:248:28
1216.14:228:31
1316.24:208:33
1416.34:188:35
1516.44:168:37
1616.44:138:39
1716.54:118:41
1816.64:098:43
1916.64:078:45
2016.74:058:47
2116.84:048:49
2216.84:028:51
2316.94:008:53
2417.03:588:55
2517.03:568:57
2617.13:558:59
2717.13:539:01
2817.23:529:02
2917.23:509:04
3017.33:499:06
3117.33:479:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kuressaare?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kuressaare for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kuressaare in May

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

In May, Kuressaare sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Kuressaare in May

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 1°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
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct11Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Kuressaare in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kuressaare peaks around June 19 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 19UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kuressaare?

Kuressaare sits at 58.3°N, 22.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Estonia. The nearest listed city is Muhu, 59 km away.

MuhuRuhnuHaapsaluVentspilsPärnu

Topography around Kuressaare

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kuressaare has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m.

The land around Kuressaare is covered by trees (34%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, water (37%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and water (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
52 m
80 km
113 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Muhu 59 km · Ruhnu 67 km · Haapsalu 97 km · Ventspils 110 km · Pärnu 118 km · Kuldīga 146 km · Tukums 148 km · Jūrmala 162 km

Estonia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 66% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$34,418
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 561
Religion
none 58%Orthodox 17%Protestant 9%other 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 Kuressaare (58.2538°, 22.4922°, elevation 0 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).