Rhodes weather in May

In May, Rhodes sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 17 mm of rain across 2.8 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rhodes's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rhodes's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
6th warmest
Overnight low
19°
7th coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
2.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:05 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
25%
5th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
7.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Rhodes is city on the homonymous island, Greece.

Density
2,881/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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Rhodes reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11917
21917
31917
41918
51918
61918
71918
81918
92018
102018
112018
122018
132019
142019
152019
162019
172019
182019
192119
202119
212119
222119
232120
242120
252120
262120
272120
282120
292220
302220
312220

Rhodes 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
Jan15° / 13°20713.69.84.3
Feb15° / 13°14111.910.64.3
Mar16° / 14°887.911.75.4
Apr17° / 16°455.612.96.6
May20° / 19°172.813.98.1
Jun24° / 22°10.414.49.5
Jul26° / 25°00.114.29.4
Aug27° / 26°0013.49.2
Sep26° / 24°181.612.29.2
Oct23° / 21°865.411.18.2
Nov19° / 18°1509.110.16.7
Dec16° / 15°23713.59.64.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% 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 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28317
38317
48218
58218
68218
78218
88218
98317
108317
118317
128416
138416
148515
158515
168515
178614
188614
198713
208713
218713
228812
238812
248812
258812
269010
279010
289010
299010
309010
31919

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rhodes gets around 17 mm of rain over 2.8 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 9% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
211
311
411
511
611
710
810
910
1010
1110
129
139
149
158
168
178
188
198
208
218
228
238
247
257
267
277
287
296
306
316

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
125462630
223462830
321463030
419463230
517453540
615443740
714433940
812424240
911414440
1010394650
1110384850
129364950
138355160
147345270
157325470
166305680
175295790
1852758100
1952558120
2042459130
2142260140
2242159160
2341960170
2441859190
2531759210
2631658230
2731458250
2831357270
2931256290
3031154320
3121053341

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 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 5:20 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:206:48
213.55:196:49
313.55:186:50
413.65:176:51
513.65:166:52
613.65:156:53
713.75:146:54
813.75:136:54
913.75:126:55
1013.85:116:56
1113.85:106:57
1213.85:096:58
1313.85:086:59
1413.95:077:00
1513.95:067:00
1613.95:057:01
1714.05:057:02
1814.05:047:03
1914.05:037:04
2014.05:027:05
2114.15:027:05
2214.15:017:06
2314.15:007:07
2414.15:007:08
2514.24:597:09
2614.24:597:09
2714.24:587:10
2814.24:587:11
2914.24:577:11
3014.34:577:12
3114.34:567:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 7.92 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.18 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.4Intense
237.4Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.6Intense
317.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Rhodes

In seasonPeak

None of Rhodes's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Rhodes's rainy season runs November–February, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Rhodes?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Rhodes in May

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

In May, Rhodes sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Rhodes in May

The nearest coast averages about 20°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 27°C and coldest in March near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 20 to Dec 6 — about 6.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May20Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct24Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Rhodes in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rhodes peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highModerateJun 21UV 9Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Rhodes 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 Rhodes is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodAug 1520 µg/m³Dec 1811 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rhodes?

Rhodes sits at 36.4°N, 28.2°E, 36 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Marmaris, 47 km away.

MarmarisSarigermeMuğlaBodrum

Topography around Rhodes

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rhodes has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 462 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,603 m.

The land around Rhodes is covered by water (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (79%) within 16 km, and water (70%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
124 m
16 km
462 m
80 km
1,603 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Marmaris 47 km · Sarigerme 53 km · Dalaman 64 km · Ortaca 66 km · Ölüdeniz 84 km · Fethiye 84 km · Muğla 88 km · Bodrum 97 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 Rhodes (36.4356°, 28.222°, elevation 36 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).