Sendai weather in May

In May, Sendai sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 103 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sendai's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sendai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
103 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:31 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
67%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Sendai is city in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2010
Density
1,395/km²
people per km²
Founded
1889

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 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sendai reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°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)
1178
2178
3179
4189
5189
6189
7189
8189
91810
101810
111810
121810
131910
141910
151911
161911
171911
181911
191911
202011
212012
222012
232012
242012
252012
262012
272013
282113
292113
302113
312113

How May really feels in Sendai

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.

Sendai weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°6310.99.99.60.0
Feb / -3°499.27.710.50.0
Mar / -0°8711.65.411.71.4
Apr14° / 9411.21.1134.0
May19° / 11°10311.40145.8
Jun22° / 16°12913.4014.65.8
Jul26° / 20°18717.4014.45.3
Aug27° / 21°16916.2013.55.4
Sep24° / 17°16714.3012.35.8
Oct18° / 11°141110115.6
Nov12° / 639.30.99.93.3
Dec / -0°581169.40.6

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 (%)
14357
24258
34159
44060
54060
63961
73862
83961
93862
103862
113862
123862
133862
143862
153862
163862
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
223961
234060
244060
254060
264060
274060
283862
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sendai gets around 103 mm of rain over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
736
836
936
1036
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1737
1837
1937
2037
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2635
2735
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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19460
29370
39370
49280
59280
69190
79190
89190
990100
1090100
1189110
1288111
1387121
1487121
1586131
1685141
1784151
1883161
1981172
2080182
2177203
2276213
2373234
2472244
2569265
2667276
2765296
2863307
2960328
3058339
31543511

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
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 4:47 AM to 4:21 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.64:476:21
213.64:456:22
313.64:446:23
413.74:436:24
513.74:426:25
613.74:416:26
713.84:406:27
813.84:396:27
913.84:386:28
1013.94:366:29
1113.94:356:30
1213.94:346:31
1314.04:336:32
1414.04:336:33
1514.04:326:34
1614.14:316:35
1714.14:306:36
1814.14:296:37
1914.24:286:37
2014.24:276:38
2114.24:276:39
2214.24:266:40
2314.34:256:41
2414.34:256:42
2514.34:246:43
2614.34:236:43
2714.44:236:44
2814.44:226:45
2914.44:226:46
3014.44:216:46
3114.44:216:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.34 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.34 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.34 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sendai

In seasonPeak

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

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

Sendai's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Sendai?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sendai for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sendai in May

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

In May, Sendai sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sendai in May

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 7 to Oct 10 — about 3.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

5°10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Sendai 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 Sendai peaks around August 16 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 16UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sendai?

Sendai sits at 38.3°N, 140.9°E, 53 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Natori-shi, 11 km away.

Topography around Sendai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sendai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 173 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 513 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,978 m.

The land around Sendai is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
173 m
16 km
513 m
80 km
1,978 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Natori-shi 11 km · Rifu 12 km · Tagajō-shi 12 km · Tomiya 14 km · Shiogama 16 km · Shōbudahama 17 km · Iwanuma 18 km · Yoshioka 19 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 Sendai (38.2667°, 140.8667°, elevation 53 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).