Cinque Terre weather in May

In May, Cinque Terre sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 74 mm of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cinque Terre's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cinque Terre's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:01 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
50%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Cinque Terre is chief town of the homonym municipality.

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 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Cinque Terre reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11715
21715
31715
41715
51715
61715
71815
81815
91815
101816
111816
121816
131816
141816
151816
161916
171916
181917
191917
201917
211917
221917
231917
242017
252017
262017
272018
282018
292018
302018
312018

Cinque Terre 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
Jan11° / 12011.89.12.8
Feb11° / 10910.310.22.8
Mar13° / 11°10010.211.63.7
Apr15° / 13°9810.213.24.7
May19° / 16°748.714.56.3
Jun22° / 20°556.315.27.6
Jul25° / 23°314.1158.4
Aug25° / 23°536.413.87.9
Sep22° / 20°1329.112.37.1
Oct19° / 17°18912.610.85.9
Nov15° / 13°21214.19.44.3
Dec13° / 11°15213.48.83.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35446
45446
55347
65347
75347
85347
95347
105446
115446
125446
135545
145644
155644
165842
175941
186040
196139
206337
216436
226535
236535
246733
256733
266733
276733
286733
296733
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cinque Terre gets around 74 mm of rain over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
533
633
733
832
932
1031
1131
1230
1330
1429
1529
1628
1728
1827
1927
2026
2125
2225
2324
2424
2523
2623
2723
2822
2922
3022
3123

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1643510
2613720
3593920
4574120
5554230
6524440
7514540
8494650
9474760
10454870
11434880
124249100
134049110
143849120
153649141
163549161
173348171
183248191
193147212
202946222
212846242
222745262
232544283
242444293
252243313
262142334
271942354
281840375
291639395
301538416
311437427

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:20 AM to 4:48 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:207:16
214.05:197:18
314.05:177:19
414.15:167:20
514.15:147:21
614.25:137:22
714.25:127:24
814.25:107:25
914.35:097:26
1014.35:087:27
1114.45:077:28
1214.45:057:30
1314.45:047:31
1414.55:037:32
1514.55:027:33
1614.65:017:34
1714.65:007:35
1814.64:597:36
1914.74:577:37
2014.74:577:38
2114.74:567:40
2214.84:557:41
2314.84:547:42
2414.84:537:43
2514.94:527:44
2614.94:517:45
2714.94:507:46
2814.94:507:47
2915.04:497:47
3015.04:487:48
3115.04:487:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.38 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.28 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Cinque Terre

In seasonPeak

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

Cinque Terre's rainy season runs September–April, 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 Cinque Terre?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Cinque Terre for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cinque Terre in May

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

In May, Cinque Terre sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Cinque Terre in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 25°C and coldest in February near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 2 to Oct 20 — about 4.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb13Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr15Cool
May18Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul24Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct20Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Cinque Terre in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cinque Terre peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr7High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Cinque Terre 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 Cinque Terre is worst in March — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 2115 µg/m³Dec 119 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug12Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cinque Terre?

Cinque Terre sits at 44.1°N, 9.7°E, 0 m above sea level, in Italy. The nearest listed city is La Spezia, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Cinque Terre

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cinque Terre has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 750 m around an average of 103 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 813 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,090 m.

The land around Cinque Terre is covered by water (69%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, water (58%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
750 m
16 km
813 m
80 km
2,090 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: La Spezia 8.0 km · Sarzana 19 km · Marina di Carrara 27 km · Carrara 30 km · Sestri Levante 32 km · Marina di Massa 33 km · Massa 34 km · Chiavari 40 km

Italy travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / L
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 69% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$43,309
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 513
Religion
Christian 81%unaffiliated 13%Muslim 5%other 1%

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 Cinque Terre (44.1°, 9.72°, 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. 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).