Galway in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Galway sees average daytime highs around 13°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 233 mm of precipitation over about 41 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 9°C in early March to 16°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Galway's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Galway's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 13°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 233 mm
- 41 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Galway in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 9°C in early March to 16°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Galway reaches about 13°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Galway
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 10 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Galway weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8° / 4° | 99 | 15.4 | 0.7 | 7.9 | 1.2 |
| Feb | 9° / 3° | 84 | 12.9 | 0.6 | 9.4 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 10° / 4° | 78 | 13.3 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 13° / 5° | 76 | 13.7 | 0 | 13.7 | 3.0 |
| May | 15° / 8° | 79 | 13.5 | 0 | 15.6 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 17° / 10° | 79 | 12.9 | 0 | 16.6 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 18° / 12° | 84 | 14.5 | 0 | 16.2 | 5.0 |
| Aug | 18° / 12° | 91 | 14 | 0 | 14.6 | 5.1 |
| Sep | 16° / 10° | 75 | 12.3 | 0 | 12.4 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 13° / 8° | 95 | 14.1 | 0 | 10.3 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 10° / 5° | 101 | 14.4 | 0 | 8.4 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 8° / 4° | 104 | 15.2 | 0.4 | 7.4 | 1.3 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Galway gets around 233 mm of rain and snow over 41 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 15 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min in early March to 16 h 18 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 3.6 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Galway?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Galway.
What to pack for Galway in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Galway sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 41 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Galway in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 10°C across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February near 9°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Bracing |
| Feb | 9 | Bracing |
| Mar | 9 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 16 | Cool |
| Aug | 16 | Cool |
| Sep | 15 | Cool |
| Oct | 14 | Bracing |
| Nov | 12 | Bracing |
| Dec | 10 | Bracing |
UV index in Galway in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Galway peaks around August 11 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 5 | High |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Low |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Galway?
Galway sits at 53.3°N, 9.1°W, 10 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Ennis, 48 km away.
Topography around Galway
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Galway.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Galway has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 237 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 824 m.
The land around Galway is covered by water (35%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (65%) and water (24%) within 80 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
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 Galway (53.2724°, -9.051°, elevation 10 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.