Shimoda weather in May

In May, Shimoda sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 210 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Shimoda's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shimoda's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
210 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:46 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
65%
10th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Shimoda is city in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan.

Founded
1971

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 18°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Shimoda reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11815
21815
31815
41815
51815
61815
71815
81816
91816
101816
111916
121916
131916
141916
151916
161916
171916
181917
191917
201917
211917
222017
232017
242017
252017
262017
272018
282018
292018
302018
312018

Shimoda weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 1049.50.49.92.3
Feb10° / 1159.40.510.72.4
Mar12° / 19113.90.211.73.2
Apr16° / 13°18212.5012.84.6
May19° / 16°21012.3013.85.7
Jun22° / 20°28915014.35.5
Jul25° / 23°23613.8014.16.1
Aug26° / 24°14613013.36.2
Sep25° / 22°24015.3012.25.9
Oct21° / 18°26213.9011.16.0
Nov17° / 14°16311.6010.25.2
Dec12° / 10°9810.309.73.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34555
44555
54357
64258
74159
84159
94159
103961
113961
123862
133862
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
204060
213961
223961
233961
243862
253862
263862
273763
283763
293664
303664
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Shimoda gets around 210 mm of rain over 12.3 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
237
337
437
537
637
737
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2739
2839
2939
3039
3140

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 37% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15234131
25035141
34836151
44637171
54437181
64238191
74038211
83938221
93739231
103639242
113439252
123240262
133140272
142940282
152840303
162640313
172540333
182339343
192239364
202039374
211938385
221738396
231637416
241536427
251336437
261235458
271134469
2810334710
299324811
308314912
318305013

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:00 AM to 4:38 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:006:23
213.44:596:23
313.44:586:24
413.54:576:25
513.54:566:26
613.54:556:27
713.64:546:28
813.64:536:28
913.64:526:29
1013.64:516:30
1113.74:506:31
1213.74:496:32
1313.74:496:32
1413.84:486:33
1513.84:476:34
1613.84:466:35
1713.84:456:35
1813.94:456:36
1913.94:446:37
2013.94:436:38
2113.94:436:39
2214.04:426:39
2314.04:426:40
2414.04:416:41
2514.04:406:41
2614.04:406:42
2714.14:396:43
2814.14:396:44
2914.14:386:44
3014.14:386:45
3114.14:386:46

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 5.58 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.58 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
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Shimoda

In seasonPeak

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

Shimoda 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 Shimoda?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Shimoda for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shimoda in May

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

In May, Shimoda sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Shimoda in May

The nearest coast averages about 20°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 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 24 to Dec 3 — about 6.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr18Cool
May20Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul24Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct24Refreshing
Nov21Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Shimoda in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shimoda peaks around July 24 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 24UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Shimoda 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 Shimoda is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1719 µg/m³Dec 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shimoda?

Shimoda sits at 34.7°N, 138.9°E, 11 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Shuzenji, 33 km away.

Topography around Shimoda

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shimoda has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 330 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,060 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,746 m.

The land around Shimoda is covered by trees (66%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (53%) and trees (45%) within 16 km, and water (75%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
330 m
16 km
1,060 m
80 km
3,746 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Shuzenji 33 km · Izu 33 km · Itō 35 km · Izunokuni 40 km · Atami 47 km · Kamizawa 47 km · Numazu 48 km · Fushimi 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 Shimoda (34.6765°, 138.9446°, elevation 11 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).