Soo weather in May

In May, Soo sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 207 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Soo's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
5th warmest
Overnight low
15°
8th coldest
Rainfall
207 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:24 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
71%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Soo reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42313
52314
62314
72314
82314
92314
102314
112314
122315
132315
142415
152415
162415
172415
182415
192415
202415
212416
222416
232416
242416
252416
262416
272416
282416
292517
302517
312517

How May really feels in Soo

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.

Soo weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan11° / 817.710.22.9
Feb12° / 1008.510.83.4
Mar16° / 15912.811.84.6
Apr20° / 10°1821212.85.9
May24° / 15°20712.313.66.3
Jun26° / 19°46020.7144.7
Jul30° / 23°28020.213.93.8
Aug30° / 24°19919.813.23.7
Sep28° / 21°23316.412.25.1
Oct24° / 15°13710.311.26.9
Nov18° / 1088.610.46.1
Dec13° / 816.6104.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103466
113466
123466
133268
143268
153367
163367
173367
183268
193268
203169
213169
223169
233169
242971
252872
262872
272872
282674
292674
302674
312575

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Soo gets around 207 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 40% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
238
338
438
538
638
738
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2140
2240
2340
2441
2542
2642
2743
2844
2945
3047
3148

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 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
152261570
250271670
349271680
447271781
546281791
644281891
7432818101
8422919101
9412919101
10402919111
11393019111
12383119111
13373119111
14363219121
15353320121
16343320121
17333420121
18323421121
19313521121
20293422131
21283523131
22273524132
23253525142
24243526142
25223427142
26213429152
27193330162
28173331162
29163232182
30143134193
31132935203

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 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 5:37 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:376:50
213.35:366:51
313.35:356:51
413.35:346:52
513.35:336:53
613.45:326:53
713.45:316:54
813.45:306:55
913.45:296:56
1013.55:286:56
1113.55:286:57
1213.55:276:58
1313.55:266:58
1413.65:256:59
1513.65:257:00
1613.65:247:01
1713.65:237:01
1813.75:237:02
1913.75:227:03
2013.75:227:03
2113.75:217:04
2213.75:207:05
2313.85:207:05
2413.85:197:06
2513.85:197:07
2613.85:187:07
2713.85:187:08
2813.85:187:08
2913.95:177:09
3013.95:177:10
3113.95:177:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.06 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.06 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.06 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Soo

In seasonPeak

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

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

Soo's rainy season runs May–July, 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 Soo?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Soo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Soo in May

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

In May, Soo sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Soo in May

The nearest coast averages about 22°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 33 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 14 to Jan 4 — about 8.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr20Refreshing
May22Refreshing
Jun24Refreshing
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep27Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Soo in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Soo peaks around June 23 at about 11 (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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Soo 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 Soo is worst in April — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (July, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodGoodModerateApr 1421 µg/m³Sep 1911 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Soo?

Soo sits at 31.6°N, 131.0°E, 217 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Sueyoshichō-ninokata, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Soo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Soo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 205 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 913 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,640 m.

The land around Soo is covered by trees (63%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, trees (74%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
913 m
80 km
1,640 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Sueyoshichō-ninokata 2.0 km · Miyakonojō 12 km · Mochibaru 18 km · Shibushi 22 km · Kokubu-matsuki 23 km · Kirishima 24 km · Hamanoichi 26 km · Kushima 30 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 Soo (31.6464°, 130.9907°, elevation 217 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).