Taormina weather in May

In May, Taormina sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 33 mm of rain across 5.6 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 17°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Taormina's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Taormina's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
15°
7th coldest
Rainfall
33 mm
5.6 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:54 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
40%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

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 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Taormina reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 22°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)
11714
21714
31714
41814
51814
61814
71814
81815
91815
101815
111815
121915
131915
141915
151915
161915
171916
181916
191916
202016
212016
222016
232016
242016
252017
262017
272017
282017
292117
302117
312117

Taormina 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
Jan12° / 12113.29.73.1
Feb12° / 9810.710.53.2
Mar13° / 10°9211.311.73.8
Apr15° / 12°7110.1134.9
May19° / 15°335.6147.0
Jun23° / 20°253.814.68.4
Jul26° / 22°142.614.48.8
Aug26° / 23°224.213.58.3
Sep23° / 20°1111212.36.9
Oct20° / 17°14713.2116.0
Nov17° / 14°14013.9104.9
Dec13° / 11°118139.43.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26931
36931
47129
57228
67327
77327
87426
97525
107426
117426
127426
137426
147426
157426
167327
177327
187327
197426
207426
217426
227525
237426
247525
257525
267624
277624
287624
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Taormina gets around 33 mm of rain over 5.6 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 19% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
227
326
425
523
622
721
820
920
1019
1118
1218
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
2917
3017
3117

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 47% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1782200
2762400
3742600
4722800
5703000
6683200
7673300
8653500
9633700
10613900
11594010
12574210
13564310
14534520
15524620
16494830
17475040
18445150
19425260
20395470
21365680
223456100
233158110
242958130
252659150
262460160
272161180
281961200
291760230
301559251
311358281

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 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 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 4:44 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)
113.55:106:42
213.65:086:43
313.65:076:44
413.75:066:45
513.75:056:46
613.75:046:47
713.85:036:48
813.85:026:49
913.85:016:50
1013.95:006:51
1113.94:596:52
1213.94:586:53
1313.94:576:54
1414.04:566:54
1514.04:556:55
1614.04:546:56
1714.14:536:57
1814.14:526:58
1914.14:526:59
2014.14:517:00
2114.24:507:00
2214.24:497:01
2314.24:497:02
2414.34:487:03
2514.34:477:04
2614.34:477:05
2714.34:467:05
2814.34:467:06
2914.44:457:07
3014.44:457:08
3114.44:447:08

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 2.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7.33 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
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Taormina

In seasonPeak

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

Taormina'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 Taormina?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Taormina in May

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

In May, Taormina sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Taormina 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 26°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 2 to Nov 12 — about 5.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Cool
Feb15Bracing
Mar15Bracing
Apr16Cool
May18Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Taormina 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 Taormina peaks around July 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Taormina 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 Taormina is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 2217 µg/m³Dec 1511 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Taormina?

Taormina sits at 37.9°N, 15.3°E, 0 m above sea level, in Italy. The nearest listed city is Giarre, 17 km away.

Topography around Taormina

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Taormina has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 872 m around an average of 155 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,360 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,306 m.

The land around Taormina is covered by water (46%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, water (48%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and trees (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
872 m
16 km
1,360 m
80 km
3,306 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Giarre 17 km · Acireale 29 km · Aci Catena 30 km · Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto 33 km · San Giovanni la Punta 35 km · Aci Castello 35 km · Mascalucia 37 km · Gravina di Catania 38 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 Taormina (37.8536°, 15.2885°, 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).