Dublin weather in May

In May, Dublin sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 66 mm of rain across 13.6 wet days and about 15.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dublin's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dublin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
66 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:33 AM – 8:10 PM
Cloud cover
73%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Dublin is capital and largest city of Ireland.

Founded
~841 CE

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 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Dublin reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1127
2127
3127
4137
5137
6137
7137
8137
9137
10137
11137
12137
13137
14138
15138
16148
17148
18148
19148
20148
21148
22148
23148
24159
25159
26159
27159
28159
29159
30159
31159

How May really feels in Dublin

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.

Dublin weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6913.20.97.81.0
Feb / 5711.81.29.41.1
Mar / 5912.21.111.51.7
Apr11° / 6613.80.113.72.4
May14° / 6613.6015.63.5
Jun16° / 10°7313.2016.64.5
Jul18° / 12°7614.8016.24.9
Aug18° / 12°7813.7014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°7012.3012.44.5
Oct13° / 7812.4010.33.2
Nov10° / 8513.20.38.41.9
Dec / 7612.90.87.41.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32674
42773
52773
62773
72674
82773
92773
102773
112575
122575
132575
142377
152377
162377
172377
182377
192377
202377
212476
222476
232674
242674
252773
262773
272773
282872
292872
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dublin gets around 66 mm of rain over 13.6 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 45% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
345
445
545
644
744
844
944
1044
1145
1245
1346
1446
1546
1646
1745
1845
1945
2045
2145
2245
2345
2445
2545
2645
2745
2845
2945
3045
3145

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20982
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29964
30964
31964

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
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 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:01 AM to 4:13 AM, and sunset from 7:44 PM to 8:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:017:44
214.84:597:45
314.84:577:47
414.94:557:49
515.04:537:51
615.04:517:52
715.14:497:54
815.14:477:56
915.24:457:58
1015.34:437:59
1115.34:418:01
1215.44:408:03
1315.44:388:05
1415.54:368:06
1515.64:358:08
1615.64:338:10
1715.74:318:11
1815.74:308:13
1915.84:288:14
2015.84:278:16
2115.94:258:18
2215.94:248:19
2316.04:228:21
2416.04:218:22
2516.14:208:24
2616.14:198:25
2716.14:178:26
2816.24:168:28
2916.24:158:29
3016.34:148:30
3116.34:138:32

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.27 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.17 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Dublin?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dublin.

What to pack for Dublin in May

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

In May, Dublin sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Dublin 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Dublin 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 Dublin peaks around August 13 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dublin?

Dublin sits at 53.3°N, 6.2°W, 17 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Rathfarnham, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Dublin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dublin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 946 m.

The land around Dublin is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) within 3 km, grassland (29%), artificial surfaces (24%) and water (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
651 m
80 km
946 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Rathfarnham 4.0 km · Templeogue 6.0 km · Sandyford 7.0 km · Finglas 7.0 km · South Dublin 8.0 km · Dún Laoghaire 9.0 km · Donaghmede 9.0 km · Tallaght 10 km

Ireland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 85% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$131,592
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 69%none 15%Protestant 4%Orthodox 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 Dublin (53.3331°, -6.2489°, elevation 17 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).