Zakynthos weather in May

In May, Zakynthos sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 18 mm of rain across 3.7 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zakynthos's 5th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zakynthos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
6th warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:32 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
31%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
6.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Zakynthos is city on the island of Zakynthos, Ionian Islands, Greece.

Density
251/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 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Zakynthos reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°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)
11816
21816
31816
41817
51917
61917
71917
81917
91917
101917
111917
121917
131918
142018
152018
162018
172018
182018
192018
202018
212018
222019
232019
242119
252119
262119
272119
282119
292119
302120
312120

Zakynthos 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
Jan14° / 12°16213.99.73.7
Feb14° / 12°11612.110.53.8
Mar15° / 12°829.911.74.6
Apr17° / 15°416.212.96.0
May20° / 18°183.7147.7
Jun23° / 22°111.414.69.1
Jul25° / 24°60.514.39.5
Aug26° / 25°6113.59.1
Sep25° / 23°666.612.38.1
Oct22° / 20°1148.9117.2
Nov19° / 16°18112.6105.7
Dec15° / 13°18114.89.44.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% 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 19%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27921
38020
48020
58119
68119
78119
88119
98119
108119
118119
128119
138020
147921
157921
167921
177921
187921
197921
207921
217921
227921
237921
248020
258020
268218
278218
288317
298317
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Zakynthos gets around 18 mm of rain over 3.7 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 12% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
213
313
413
513
613
713
813
913
1013
1113
1213
1313
1413
1513
1613
1713
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2311
2411
2510
2610
279
288
298
307
317

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 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
130541600
227551800
325542010
423542210
521542410
619532710
718522910
817503120
916493420
1015473620
1114453830
1214434030
1313414240
1412394440
1512384650
1611364850
1710344960
1810335070
199315280
208305390
2182952110
2272853120
2372752140
2462553160
2552452181
2652352191
2742252211
2842151231
2942050251
3041949272
3131748292

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 5:22 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 7:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:477:20
213.65:467:21
313.65:457:22
413.65:447:23
513.75:437:24
613.75:427:25
713.75:407:25
813.85:397:26
913.85:387:27
1013.85:377:28
1113.95:367:29
1213.95:357:30
1313.95:347:31
1414.05:347:32
1514.05:337:33
1614.05:327:34
1714.15:317:34
1814.15:307:35
1914.15:297:36
2014.15:297:37
2114.25:287:38
2214.25:277:39
2314.25:267:40
2414.25:267:40
2514.35:257:41
2614.35:247:42
2714.35:247:43
2814.35:237:43
2914.45:237:44
3014.45:227:45
3114.45:227:46

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.98 kWh/m² to a high of 7.61 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Zakynthos

In seasonPeak

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

Zakynthos's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Zakynthos?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Zakynthos in May

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

In May, Zakynthos sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Zakynthos 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 26°C and coldest in March near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Nov 20 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Cool
Mar15Cool
Apr16Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Zakynthos 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 Zakynthos peaks around August 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateAug 12UV 9Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Zakynthos?

Zakynthos sits at 37.8°N, 20.9°E, 0 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Amaliáda, 40 km away.

PýrgosArchaia OlympiaPatrasAgrínioAígioPrévezaTrípoli

Topography around Zakynthos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zakynthos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 737 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,904 m.

The land around Zakynthos is covered by water (30%), trees (29%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (66%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and water (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
194 m
16 km
737 m
80 km
1,904 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Amaliáda 40 km · Pýrgos 49 km · Archaia Olympia 66 km · Patras 90 km · Agrínio 104 km · Aígio 116 km · Préveza 131 km · Trípoli 134 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 Zakynthos (37.7802°, 20.8956°, elevation 0 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).