Niigata weather in May

In May, Niigata sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 99 mm of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Niigata's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Niigata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
6th warmest
Overnight low
13°
7th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:39 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
61%
4th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 10 µg/m³ · 2010

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 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Niigata reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11611
21611
31611
41611
51712
61712
71712
81712
91712
101712
111713
121713
131813
141813
151813
161813
171814
181814
191814
201914
211914
221914
231915
241915
251915
262015
272015
282015
292016
302016
312016

How May really feels in Niigata

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.

Niigata weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 17726.510.39.70.3
Feb / 11421.28.810.50.4
Mar / 11018.62.511.71.4
Apr13° / 9012.60.2133.5
May18° / 13°9911.80145.6
Jun22° / 18°12311.2014.66.3
Jul26° / 23°22615.2014.45.8
Aug28° / 24°16012.9013.55.7
Sep25° / 21°14614.2012.35.9
Oct20° / 16°15515.80115.4
Nov14° / 10°16419.70.2103.2
Dec / 19525.44.19.41.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44654
54654
64555
74555
84654
94654
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174654
184654
194654
204753
214753
224852
234852
244852
254852
264951
274951
284951
294852
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Niigata gets around 99 mm of rain over 11.8 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
538
639
739
839
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1839
1939
2038
2138
2237
2336
2435
2534
2634
2733
2832
2932
3031
3131

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 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
192800
2901000
3891100
4871300
5861400
6851500
7821710
8801910
9792010
10772210
11762310
12732520
13712720
14683020
15653230
16623440
17603640
18573850
19544060
20514270
21484490
224545100
234247110
243948130
253649140
263450160
273151180
282950201
292750231
302549251
312347282

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light 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
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
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 4:55 AM to 4:29 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.64:556:28
213.64:536:28
313.64:526:29
413.74:516:30
513.74:506:31
613.74:496:32
713.84:486:33
813.84:476:34
913.84:466:35
1013.94:446:36
1113.94:436:37
1213.94:426:38
1314.04:426:39
1414.04:416:40
1514.04:406:40
1614.04:396:41
1714.14:386:42
1814.14:376:43
1914.14:366:44
2014.24:366:45
2114.24:356:46
2214.24:346:46
2314.24:336:47
2414.34:336:48
2514.34:326:49
2614.34:326:50
2714.34:316:51
2814.34:306:51
2914.44:306:52
3014.44:296:53
3114.44:296:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.68 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.68 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
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Niigata

In seasonPeak

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

Niigata 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 Niigata?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Niigata for sightseeing.

What to pack for Niigata in May

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

In May, Niigata sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Niigata in May

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 22 to Oct 30 — about 4.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Cool

UV index in Niigata 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 Niigata peaks around August 13 at about 9 (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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 13UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Niigata 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 Niigata is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Niigata's WHO annual average of 10 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1216 µg/m³Oct 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul9Good
Aug8Good
Sep7Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Niigata?

Niigata sits at 37.9°N, 139.0°E, 1 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Kameda-honchō, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Niigata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Niigata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,110 m.

The land around Niigata is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (52%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and trees (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
29 m
16 km
42 m
80 km
2,110 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kameda-honchō 8.0 km · Niitsu-honchō 15 km · Shirone 18 km · Agano 19 km · Suibara 19 km · Maki 24 km · Gosen 24 km · Shibata 26 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 Niigata (37.9226°, 139.0412°, elevation 1 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).