Chania weather in May

In May, Chania sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 25 mm of rain across 4.1 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chania's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chania's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
17°
7th coldest
Rainfall
25 mm
4.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:24 AM – 7:16 PM
Cloud cover
27%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
7.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.6
out of 10

Chania is city in Crete, Greece.

Density
4,292/km²
people per km²

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 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chania reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11715
21715
31715
41816
51816
61816
71816
81816
91816
101816
111916
121917
131917
141917
151917
161917
171917
181917
191917
202017
212017
222018
232018
242018
252018
262018
272018
282018
292018
302119
312119

Chania weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 10°15714.79.93.1
Feb12° / 10°13313.210.73.1
Mar14° / 11°8610.211.74.0
Apr16° / 14°38612.95.7
May19° / 17°254.113.87.6
Jun23° / 21°51.614.49.1
Jul25° / 23°30.714.29.5
Aug25° / 24°51.113.39.3
Sep23° / 22°263.512.28.8
Oct20° / 19°798.311.17.1
Nov17° / 15°1101110.15.5
Dec14° / 12°16615.19.63.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38218
48317
58317
68317
78416
88416
98416
108416
118416
128416
138515
148515
158515
168416
178416
188416
198416
208416
218416
228416
238416
248416
258416
268515
278515
288614
298614
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chania gets around 25 mm of rain over 4.1 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 13% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
314
414
514
614
714
814
913
1013
1113
1213
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2612
2712
2811
2911
3011
3111

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1792100
2772300
3752500
4732700
5712900
6673210
7653410
8633610
9603910
10574120
11554320
12514630
13494830
14465040
15435340
16405550
17385660
18355870
19335980
20306190
212861110
222662120
232561140
242362150
252162170
261962190
271861210
281661230
291559251
301458271
311357291

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:15 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:397:04
213.55:377:04
313.55:367:05
413.55:357:06
513.55:347:07
613.65:337:08
713.65:327:09
813.65:317:10
913.75:307:10
1013.75:297:11
1113.75:287:12
1213.85:277:13
1313.85:277:14
1413.85:267:14
1513.85:257:15
1613.95:247:16
1713.95:237:17
1813.95:237:18
1913.95:227:19
2014.05:217:19
2114.05:217:20
2214.05:207:21
2314.05:197:22
2414.15:197:22
2514.15:187:23
2614.15:187:24
2714.15:177:25
2814.15:177:25
2914.25:167:26
3014.25:167:27
3114.25:157:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.1 kWh/m² to a high of 7.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.07 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.1Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.1Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.3Intense
257.3Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chania

In seasonPeak

In May, Chania sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Chania's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Chania sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in April.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Chania?

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

7.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Chania for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Chania in May

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

In May, Chania sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Chania in May

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 26 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Chania in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chania peaks around July 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chania 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 Chania is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1015 µg/m³Sep 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep7Good
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chania?

Chania sits at 35.5°N, 24.0°E, 24 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 44 km away.

RethymnoHeraklionOiaFiraParosNaxosSpartaKalamata

Topography around Chania

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chania has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,432 m.

The land around Chania is covered by water (31%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (41%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
215 m
16 km
1,795 m
80 km
2,432 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Rethymno 44 km · Heraklion 103 km · Oia 161 km · Fira 162 km · Paros 202 km · Naxos 214 km · Sparta 225 km · Kalamata 242 km

Greece travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,948
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 592
Religion
other 3%Muslim 2%

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 Chania (35.5112°, 24.0292°, elevation 24 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).