Kiel weather in May

In May, Kiel sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 15.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kiel's 2nd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kiel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:23 AM – 8:08 PM
Cloud cover
63%
2nd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.2 µg/m³ · 2019

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 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kiel reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 22°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)
1146
2156
3156
4156
5156
6157
7157
8157
9157
10167
11167
12167
13167
14167
15168
16168
17168
18178
19178
20178
21178
22179
23179
24179
25179
26189
27189
28189
291810
301810
311810

How May really feels in Kiel

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.

Kiel weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°5711.937.70.0
Feb / -0°45103.59.30.0
Mar / 4910.52.211.51.0
Apr12° / 439.70.313.73.2
May16° / 5710.6015.75.0
Jun19° / 11°6611.8016.85.8
Jul22° / 13°7412.5016.46.1
Aug22° / 13°7312.7014.76.1
Sep18° / 11°5410.4012.55.4
Oct13° / 5611.2010.23.3
Nov / 5010.90.78.21.1
Dec / 57122.87.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64159
74258
84258
94258
104258
114159
124159
134060
144060
153961
163961
173862
183862
193862
203862
213763
223763
233763
243763
253763
263862
273862
284060
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kiel gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3136

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 (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119820
129820
139820
149730
159730
169640
179640
189640
199550
209550
219460
229370
239370
249280
259190
269190
2789101
2888111
2988111
3087121
3186131

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 30 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 4:02 AM, and sunset from 7:41 PM to 8:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.84:527:41
214.94:507:43
314.94:487:45
415.04:467:47
515.14:447:49
615.14:427:50
715.24:407:52
815.34:387:54
915.34:367:56
1015.44:347:58
1115.54:328:00
1215.54:308:01
1315.64:288:03
1415.64:278:05
1515.74:258:07
1615.84:238:08
1715.84:218:10
1815.94:208:12
1915.94:188:13
2016.04:178:15
2116.04:158:17
2216.14:148:18
2316.14:128:20
2416.24:118:21
2516.24:098:23
2616.34:088:24
2716.34:078:26
2816.44:068:27
2916.44:048:29
3016.44:038:30
3116.54:028:32

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.43 kWh/m² to a high of 5.44 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.2 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kiel?

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
0.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kiel for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kiel in May

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

In May, Kiel 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 Kiel 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 32 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 Kiel 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 Kiel peaks around June 23 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 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 23UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Kiel 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 Kiel is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kiel's WHO annual average of 12.2 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1315 µg/m³Dec 119 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kiel?

Kiel sits at 54.3°N, 10.1°E, 7 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Elmschenhagen, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Kiel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kiel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 275 m.

The land around Kiel is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 3 km, cropland (35%), trees (29%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (32%), cropland (30%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
79 m
16 km
105 m
80 km
275 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Elmschenhagen 5.0 km · Preetz 13 km · Eckernförde 25 km · Neumünster 29 km · Rendsburg 30 km · Eutin 37 km · Schleswig 43 km · Bad Segeberg 44 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 Kiel (54.3213°, 10.1349°, elevation 7 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. 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).