Idar-Oberstein weather in May

In May, Idar-Oberstein sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 71 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 15.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-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 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Idar-Oberstein's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Idar-Oberstein's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
4:53 AM – 8:01 PM
Cloud cover
67%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Idar-Oberstein is human settlement in Germany.

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 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Idar-Oberstein 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 11°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)
1157
2167
3167
4167
5167
6167
7167
8168
9168
10168
11168
12178
13178
14178
15178
16178
17178
18179
19179
20189
21189
22189
23189
24189
25189
261810
271910
281910
291910
301910
311910

How May really feels in Idar-Oberstein

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.

Idar-Oberstein weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°6712.44.68.40.0
Feb / -1°5710.34.29.80.1
Mar / 6212.52.311.51.6
Apr13° / 5311.20.513.43.5
May17° / 7112.7015.15.0
Jun20° / 12°6711.80165.9
Jul23° / 13°6712.5015.76.4
Aug22° / 13°6311.2014.26.5
Sep18° / 10°619.8012.45.6
Oct13° / 6311.60.110.53.2
Nov / 6512.11.48.80.8
Dec / 8113.64.480.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33367
43367
53367
63466
73466
83367
93367
103367
113466
123466
133268
143268
153268
163169
173169
183268
193268
203169
213169
223268
233268
243169
253268
263268
273268
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Idar-Oberstein gets around 71 mm of rain over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
244
344
444
544
644
743
843
943
1042
1142
1242
1342
1442
1541
1641
1741
1840
1940
2040
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2740
2840
2940
3041
3141

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129730
139730
149730
159640
169640
179640
189550
199460
209460
219370
229181
239091
2489101
2588111
2687121
2785132
2884142
2982162
3080173
3179183

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:17 AM to 4:36 AM, and sunset from 7:39 PM to 8:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:177:39
214.45:157:41
314.55:137:42
414.55:127:44
514.65:107:45
614.65:087:47
714.75:067:48
814.75:057:50
914.85:037:51
1014.95:027:53
1114.95:007:54
1215.04:597:56
1315.04:577:57
1415.04:567:58
1515.14:548:00
1615.14:538:01
1715.24:518:03
1815.24:508:04
1915.34:498:05
2015.34:478:07
2115.44:468:08
2215.44:458:09
2315.44:448:11
2415.54:438:12
2515.54:428:13
2615.64:418:14
2715.64:408:16
2815.64:398:17
2915.74:388:18
3015.74:378:19
3115.74:368:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.14 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Idar-Oberstein?

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

May is a reasonable time to visit Idar-Oberstein for sightseeing.

What to pack for Idar-Oberstein in May

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

In May, Idar-Oberstein sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Idar-Oberstein in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Idar-Oberstein peaks around July 16 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Idar-Oberstein in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Idar-Oberstein is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1515 µg/m³Nov 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Idar-Oberstein?

Idar-Oberstein sits at 49.7°N, 7.3°E, 288 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Sankt Wendel, 29 km away.

Topography around Idar-Oberstein

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Idar-Oberstein has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 m around an average of 375 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 641 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 768 m.

The land around Idar-Oberstein is covered by trees (70%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
269 m
16 km
641 m
80 km
768 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Sankt Wendel 29 km · Wadern 36 km · Schiffweiler 41 km · Bexbach 41 km · Neunkirchen 42 km · Illingen 42 km · Wittlich 42 km · Bad Kreuznach 43 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 Idar-Oberstein (49.7144°, 7.3078°, elevation 288 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).