Kesennuma weather in May

In May, Kesennuma sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 116 mm of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kesennuma's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kesennuma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
6th warmest
Overnight low
11°
7th coldest
Rainfall
116 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:26 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
68%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Kesennuma is city in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Density
184/km²
people per km²
Founded
1953

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 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kesennuma reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1168
2168
3169
4169
5169
6169
7169
8179
91710
101710
111710
121710
131710
141710
151710
161711
171811
181811
191811
201811
211811
221811
231812
241912
251912
261912
271912
281912
291912
301913
311913

How May really feels in Kesennuma

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.

Kesennuma weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°497.24.89.60.0
Feb / -2°457.44.910.50.0
Mar / 9210.84.411.71.2
Apr13° / 10011.21.1133.5
May18° / 11°11611.7014.15.3
Jun21° / 15°12612.1014.75.7
Jul24° / 19°16415.6014.45.7
Aug26° / 21°15414.2013.55.8
Sep23° / 17°17113.7012.35.9
Oct18° / 11°14010.40115.6
Nov12° / 708.60.39.93.3
Dec / 598.93.29.30.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44258
54060
64060
73961
83961
93763
103763
113862
123862
133862
143862
153763
163862
173862
183862
193961
203862
213862
223961
233961
243961
253961
263961
273961
284060
293961
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kesennuma gets around 116 mm of rain over 11.7 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 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
537
637
737
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2137
2237
2337
2437
2536
2636
2736
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29730
39730
49730
59730
69730
79730
89730
99730
109730
119640
129640
139640
149550
159550
169460
179370
189280
1990100
2088111
2186131
2285141
2383161
2482171
2580191
2677212
2775232
2874242
2971263
3069283
3166304

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 4:43 AM to 4:16 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.64:436:19
213.64:416:20
313.74:406:21
413.74:396:22
513.84:386:23
613.84:376:24
713.84:366:25
813.94:346:26
913.94:336:27
1013.94:326:28
1114.04:316:29
1214.04:306:30
1314.04:296:31
1414.14:286:32
1514.14:276:33
1614.14:266:33
1714.14:266:34
1814.24:256:35
1914.24:246:36
2014.24:236:37
2114.34:226:38
2214.34:226:39
2314.34:216:40
2414.34:206:40
2514.44:196:41
2614.44:196:42
2714.44:186:43
2814.44:186:44
2914.54:176:45
3014.54:176:45
3114.54:166:46

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.46 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 5.46 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.46 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kesennuma

In seasonPeak

In May, Kesennuma sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kesennuma sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Kesennuma?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kesennuma for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kesennuma in May

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

In May, Kesennuma sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kesennuma in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 22°C and coldest in March near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 21 to Oct 3 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Kesennuma in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kesennuma peaks around August 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kesennuma 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 Kesennuma is worst in April — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1319 µg/m³Dec 179 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug9Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kesennuma?

Kesennuma sits at 38.9°N, 141.6°E, 14 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Rikuzen-Takata, 15 km away.

Topography around Kesennuma

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kesennuma has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 350 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 890 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,889 m.

The land around Kesennuma is covered by trees (54%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 3 km, trees (55%) and water (36%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
350 m
16 km
890 m
80 km
1,889 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Rikuzen-Takata 15 km · Ōfunato 22 km · Ichinoseki 38 km · Tome 42 km · Ōshū 44 km · Mizusawa 46 km · Tōno 46 km · Kamaishi 49 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 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 Kesennuma (38.9011°, 141.5775°, elevation 14 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).