Tsuruoka weather in May

In May, Tsuruoka sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 134 mm of rain across 13.7 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Tsuruoka's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tsuruoka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
6th warmest
Overnight low
12°
7th coldest
Rainfall
134 mm
13.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:34 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
63%
4th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Tsuruoka is city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

Density
96/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 15°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Tsuruoka reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°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)
1159
2159
31510
41510
51510
61610
71610
81610
91611
101611
111611
121611
131611
141711
151711
161712
171712
181712
191712
201812
211812
221813
231813
241813
251813
261813
271913
281914
291914
301914
311914

How May really feels in Tsuruoka

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.

Tsuruoka 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 / 28527.722.89.60.0
Feb / 19022.918.810.50.0
Mar / 16920.611.511.70.5
Apr12° / 13215.41.5132.7
May17° / 12°13413.7014.15.0
Jun21° / 17°14812.8014.75.8
Jul25° / 21°25917.2014.45.6
Aug26° / 22°20315.7013.55.7
Sep23° / 19°18015.5012.35.7
Oct18° / 13°20316.70114.8
Nov12° / 23820.92.69.92.3
Dec / 31126.3159.30.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44258
54258
64159
74159
84060
94060
104159
114159
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174258
184258
194357
204456
214555
224555
234654
244654
254654
264753
274753
284753
294753
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tsuruoka gets around 134 mm of rain over 13.7 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 44% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
347
447
547
648
748
848
948
1048
1148
1247
1347
1447
1546
1646
1745
1845
1944
2043
2142
2241
2340
2439
2538
2638
2737
2836
2936
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 (%)
19820
29730
39730
49730
59640
69640
79550
89550
99460
109370
119370
129280
139190
1490100
1588120
1687130
1784151
1883161
1981181
2079201
2176222
2274242
2372262
2469283
2567303
2664324
2761345
2859365
2956386
3053407
3150419

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 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
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

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 4:50 AM to 4:24 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.64:506:26
213.64:496:27
313.74:486:28
413.74:466:29
513.74:456:30
613.84:446:31
713.84:436:32
813.84:426:33
913.94:416:33
1013.94:406:34
1113.94:396:35
1214.04:386:36
1314.04:376:37
1414.04:366:38
1514.14:356:39
1614.14:346:40
1714.14:336:41
1814.24:326:42
1914.24:316:43
2014.24:316:44
2114.24:306:44
2214.34:296:45
2314.34:286:46
2414.34:286:47
2514.34:276:48
2614.44:266:49
2714.44:266:49
2814.44:256:50
2914.44:256:51
3014.54:246:52
3114.54:246:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.47 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.47 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.47 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
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Tsuruoka

In seasonPeak

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

Tsuruoka 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 Tsuruoka?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Tsuruoka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tsuruoka in May

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

In May, Tsuruoka sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tsuruoka 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 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 24 to Oct 27 — about 4.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Tsuruoka 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 Tsuruoka peaks around August 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highHighModerateLowAug 17UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Tsuruoka 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 Tsuruoka is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (September, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Sep 209 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tsuruoka?

Tsuruoka sits at 38.7°N, 139.8°E, 13 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Shonai, 16 km away.

Topography around Tsuruoka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tsuruoka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 103 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 954 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,184 m.

The land around Tsuruoka is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and cropland (36%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and cropland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
103 m
16 km
954 m
80 km
2,184 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Shonai 16 km · Sakata 22 km · Shinjō 42 km · Obanazawa 52 km · Yachi 54 km · Sagae 55 km · Murayama 59 km · Higashine 59 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 Tsuruoka (38.7217°, 139.8217°, elevation 13 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).