Messina weather in May

In May, Messina sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 30 mm of rain across 5.8 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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Messina's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Messina's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
30 mm
5.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:52 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
36%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM10 22.3 µg/m³ · 2019

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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Messina reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 23°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)
11814
21915
31915
41915
51915
61915
71915
81915
91915
102016
112016
122016
132016
142016
152016
162016
172016
182016
192117
202117
212117
222117
232117
242117
252117
262117
272218
282218
292218
302218
312218

Messina 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
Jan13° / 10°9212.79.63.6
Feb13° / 10°8511.810.53.5
Mar14° / 11°7810.811.74.4
Apr17° / 13°579.8135.5
May20° / 16°305.8147.4
Jun24° / 20°213.914.68.6
Jul27° / 23°92.314.48.7
Aug27° / 23°16313.58.3
Sep25° / 21°659.412.37.4
Oct22° / 18°9210.7116.8
Nov18° / 15°8711.79.95.7
Dec15° / 12°109149.44.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27426
37525
47624
57723
67723
77723
87723
97723
107723
117723
127624
137624
147525
157525
167525
177525
187525
197525
207525
217624
227624
237723
247723
257822
267822
277822
287921
297921
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Messina gets around 30 mm of rain over 5.8 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 19% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
322
421
521
620
720
820
920
1019
1119
1219
1319
1419
1519
1619
1719
1819
1919
2019
2119
2219
2319
2419
2519
2618
2718
2818
2917
3017
3117

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 46% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1683110
2663310
3643510
4623710
5613810
6584020
7564220
8554320
9534430
10524530
11504740
12484750
13464850
14454960
15435080
16415090
174050100
183851110
193651130
203551140
213351160
223151180
233051190
242851210
252750230
262550241
272450261
282250271
292149292
301949302
311848313

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 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 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:08 AM to 4:42 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 7:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:086:42
213.65:076:43
313.65:066:44
413.75:046:45
513.75:036:46
613.75:026:47
713.85:016:48
813.85:006:49
913.84:596:49
1013.94:586:50
1113.94:576:51
1213.94:566:52
1314.04:556:53
1414.04:546:54
1514.04:536:55
1614.14:526:56
1714.14:516:57
1814.14:506:58
1914.14:506:59
2014.24:496:59
2114.24:487:00
2214.24:477:01
2314.34:477:02
2414.34:467:03
2514.34:457:04
2614.34:457:04
2714.34:447:05
2814.44:447:06
2914.44:437:07
3014.44:437:07
3114.44:427:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.96 kWh/m² to a high of 7.32 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Messina

In seasonPeak

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

Messina'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 Messina?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Messina in May

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

In May, Messina sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Messina 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 at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in February near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 28 to Nov 12 — about 5.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Cool
Feb14Bracing
Mar15Bracing
Apr16Cool
May19Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Messina 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 Messina peaks around July 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateJul 16UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Messina 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 Messina is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1616 µg/m³Dec 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Messina?

Messina sits at 38.2°N, 15.6°E, 3 m above sea level, in Italy. The nearest listed city is Reggio Calabria, 13 km away.

Topography around Messina

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Messina has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 429 m around an average of 70 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,120 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,306 m.

The land around Messina is covered by water (35%), artificial surfaces (33%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and water (62%) and trees (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
429 m
16 km
1,120 m
80 km
3,306 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Reggio Calabria 13 km · Milazzo 27 km · Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto 30 km · Palmi 32 km · Gioia Tauro 40 km · Taormina 44 km · Giarre 62 km · Siderno 65 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 Messina (38.1939°, 15.5526°, elevation 3 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).