Elmshorn weather in May

In May, Elmshorn sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 62 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 15.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Elmshorn's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elmshorn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 42 min
4:27 AM – 8:08 PM
Cloud cover
64%
2nd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Elmshorn reaches about 17°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 12°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1166
2166
3167
4167
5167
6167
7167
8167
9167
10167
11177
12178
13178
14178
15178
16178
17178
18178
19178
20189
21189
22189
23189
24189
25189
26189
271910
281910
291910
301910
311910

How May really feels in Elmshorn

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.

Elmshorn weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6512.62.67.80.0
Feb / -0°5210.33.29.40.0
Mar / 5510.81.911.51.3
Apr13° / 4610.50.213.73.5
May17° / 6211.4015.65.3
Jun20° / 11°7012.5016.75.7
Jul22° / 13°8413.5016.36.1
Aug22° / 13°7713.4014.66.1
Sep18° / 11°5810.2012.55.6
Oct13° / 6111.9010.33.4
Nov / 5511.70.68.31.1
Dec / 6712.92.87.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
34060
44060
54060
64060
73961
83961
93961
103961
113862
123862
133862
143664
153664
163565
173565
183664
193565
203565
213664
223664
233664
243763
253763
263763
273862
283862
293961
303961
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Elmshorn gets around 62 mm of rain over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
337
436
536
636
736
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1436
1536
1636
1736
1837
1937
2037
2138
2238
2338
2439
2539
2639
2739
2839
2939
3039
3139

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89820
99820
109820
119730
129730
139640
149640
159550
169550
179550
189460
199460
209370
219370
229280
239181
249091
259091
269091
2788102
2888102
2988102
3086113
3186113

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:56 AM to 4:07 AM, and sunset from 7:41 PM to 8:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.84:567:41
214.84:547:43
314.94:527:45
414.94:507:47
515.04:487:48
615.14:467:50
715.14:447:52
815.24:427:54
915.34:407:56
1015.34:387:57
1115.44:367:59
1215.44:348:01
1315.54:338:03
1415.64:318:04
1515.64:298:06
1615.74:278:08
1715.74:268:09
1815.84:248:11
1915.84:238:13
2015.94:218:14
2115.94:208:16
2216.04:188:17
2316.04:178:19
2416.14:158:20
2516.14:148:22
2616.24:138:23
2716.24:128:25
2816.34:108:26
2916.34:098:28
3016.34:088:29
3116.44:078:30

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.44 kWh/m² to a high of 5.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.08 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Elmshorn?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Elmshorn for sightseeing.

What to pack for Elmshorn in May

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

In May, Elmshorn sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Elmshorn in May

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 54 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 3°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
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun16Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Elmshorn 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 Elmshorn peaks around July 16 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 21 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 16UV 6Dec 21UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Elmshorn?

Elmshorn sits at 53.7°N, 9.7°E, 8 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Uetersen, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Elmshorn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Elmshorn has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 152 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 m.

The land around Elmshorn is covered by trees (36%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, grassland (39%), cropland (28%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (31%), grassland (30%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
152 m
80 km
276 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Uetersen 7.0 km · Pinneberg 13 km · Quickborn 17 km · Halstenbek 17 km · Wedel 19 km · Rissen 19 km · Schnelsen 21 km · Hansestadt Stade 21 km

Germany travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 80% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,496
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 615
Religion
none 44%Roman Catholic 25%Protestant 23%other 5%

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 Elmshorn (53.7491°, 9.6618°, elevation 8 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).