Dundalk weather in May

In May, Dundalk sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 69 mm of rain across 13.8 wet days and about 15.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dundalk's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundalk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 42 min
4:31 AM – 8:13 PM
Cloud cover
74%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Dundalk is county town and administrative capital of County Louth, Ireland.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 14.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,747/km²
people per km²
Founded
~3499 BCE

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 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Dundalk reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°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)
1136
2136
3136
4136
5137
6137
7137
8147
9147
10147
11147
12147
13147
14147
15147
16147
17148
18148
19158
20158
21158
22158
23158
24158
25158
26159
27169
28169
29169
30169
31169

How May really feels in Dundalk

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.

Dundalk 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7113.31.17.70.9
Feb / 5811.919.41.1
Mar / 6012.60.711.51.8
Apr12° / 6512.60.113.72.7
May14° / 6913.8015.73.7
Jun17° / 10°7513016.84.7
Jul18° / 12°7614.5016.35.1
Aug18° / 12°8313.7014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°6712.1012.54.5
Oct13° / 7812.4010.23.2
Nov10° / 8113.30.18.31.9
Dec / 7512.30.77.21.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% 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 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32575
42575
52575
62575
72575
82674
92674
102674
112575
122476
132476
142476
152278
162278
172278
182278
192278
202278
212377
222377
232377
242278
252278
262377
272377
282476
292476
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dundalk gets around 69 mm of rain over 13.8 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 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
446
546
646
746
846
946
1047
1147
1247
1348
1448
1547
1647
1746
1846
1945
2045
2144
2244
2344
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 98% 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
19982
20982
21982
22973
23973
24973
25973
26964
27964
28964
29964
30955
31955

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 24 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 4:59 AM to 4:10 AM, and sunset from 7:46 PM to 8:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.84:597:46
214.84:577:48
314.94:557:50
415.04:537:52
515.04:517:54
615.14:497:55
715.24:477:57
815.24:457:59
915.34:438:01
1015.44:418:03
1115.44:398:04
1215.54:388:06
1315.54:368:08
1415.64:348:10
1515.74:328:11
1615.74:318:13
1715.84:298:15
1815.84:278:16
1915.94:268:18
2015.94:248:20
2116.04:238:21
2216.04:218:23
2316.14:208:25
2416.14:198:26
2516.24:178:28
2616.24:168:29
2716.34:158:30
2816.34:138:32
2916.34:128:33
3016.44:118:35
3116.44:108:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.81 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 4.81 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Dundalk?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dundalk.

What to pack for Dundalk in May

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

In May, Dundalk 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 Dundalk 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 at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) 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.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Dundalk 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 Dundalk peaks around August 10 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dundalk?

Dundalk sits at 54.0°N, 6.4°W, 18 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Newry, 21 km away.

DroghedaBanbridgeNavanBalbrigganPortadownCraigavonSwords

Topography around Dundalk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundalk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m.

The land around Dundalk is covered by grassland (51%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) within 16 km, and grassland (62%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
852 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Newry 21 km · Drogheda 32 km · Banbridge 40 km · Navan 42 km · Balbriggan 46 km · Portadown 47 km · Craigavon 50 km · Swords 61 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 Dundalk (54°, -6.4167°, elevation 18 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).