Heraklion weather in May

In May, Heraklion sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 31 mm of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Heraklion's 5th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Heraklion's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
5th warmest
Overnight low
15°
7th coldest
Rainfall
31 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:20 AM – 7:11 PM
Cloud cover
30%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
7.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Heraklion is city in the island of Crete, Greece.

Density
1,258/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 23°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical May day in Heraklion reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32313
42313
52313
62314
72314
82314
92414
102414
112414
122414
132415
142415
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212516
222516
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302617
312617

Heraklion weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 68129.93.9
Feb14° / 6410.510.74.2
Mar17° / 548.311.75.6
Apr20° / 11°365.612.97.3
May25° / 15°314.313.88.3
Jun28° / 19°131.914.37.9
Jul30° / 21°50.714.17.2
Aug29° / 22°60.713.37.2
Sep27° / 19°192.912.28.1
Oct24° / 16°385.911.17.8
Nov19° / 12°457.110.16.6
Dec15° / 6411.39.74.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27921
37921
47921
57921
67921
77921
88020
98020
108119
118119
128020
138119
148119
158119
168119
178119
188119
198020
208020
218119
228119
238119
248218
258218
268218
278317
288416
298515
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Heraklion gets around 31 mm of rain over 4.3 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 (%)
112
213
313
413
513
613
713
813
913
1013
1113
1213
1313
1413
1512
1612
1712
1812
1912
2013
2113
2213
2313
2414
2514
2614
2713
2813
2913
3013
3113

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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19640
29550
39550
49460
59370
69370
79280
89190
99190
1090100
1189110
1288120
1388120
1487130
1586140
1684151
1783161
1882171
1981181
2080191
2178202
2276222
2375232
2473243
2571263
2670273
2768284
2866304
2965314
3063325
3161345

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:34 AM to 5:11 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:346:59
213.45:337:00
313.55:327:01
413.55:317:01
513.55:307:02
613.65:297:03
713.65:287:04
813.65:277:05
913.75:267:06
1013.75:257:06
1113.75:247:07
1213.75:237:08
1313.85:237:09
1413.85:227:10
1513.85:217:10
1613.95:207:11
1713.95:197:12
1813.95:197:13
1913.95:187:14
2014.05:177:14
2114.05:167:15
2214.05:167:16
2314.05:157:17
2414.05:157:17
2514.15:147:18
2614.15:147:19
2714.15:137:20
2814.15:137:20
2914.15:127:21
3014.25:127:22
3114.25:117:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 7.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.14 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Heraklion

In seasonPeak

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

Heraklion sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

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

Is May a good time to visit Heraklion?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Heraklion for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Heraklion in May

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

In May, Heraklion sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Heraklion 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Heraklion 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 Heraklion peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Heraklion?

Heraklion sits at 35.3°N, 25.1°E, 60 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 60 km away.

RethymnoChaniaFiraOiaParosNaxosMykonosKos

Topography around Heraklion

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Heraklion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 822 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,433 m.

The land around Heraklion is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
822 m
80 km
2,433 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Rethymno 60 km · Chania 103 km · Fira 124 km · Oia 128 km · Paros 195 km · Naxos 199 km · Mykonos 236 km · Kos 260 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 Heraklion (35.3279°, 25.1434°, elevation 60 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).