Riga weather in May

In May, Riga sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 52 mm of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 16.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 06 min at the start of May to 17 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Riga's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
16 h 12 min
4:14 AM – 8:25 PM
Cloud cover
56%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Riga is capital and largest city of Latvia.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,442/km²
people per km²
Founded
1201

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 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Riga reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1135
2135
3136
4136
5136
6136
7146
8146
9146
10147
11147
12147
13147
14157
15157
16158
17158
18158
19158
20168
21169
22169
23169
24169
25169
26179
271710
281710
291710
301710
311710

How May really feels in Riga

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.

Riga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -4°4611.27.77.20.0
Feb-0° / -4°389.87.490.0
Mar / -2°389.7511.40.0
Apr / 419.31.413.92.0
May15° / 5210.3016.14.5
Jun19° / 12°7311.3017.45.8
Jul22° / 15°7111.7016.96.4
Aug21° / 15°79130156.1
Sep16° / 11°7011.6012.54.8
Oct10° / 8014.20.6102.1
Nov / 5912.83.87.80.2
Dec / -2°4912.17.16.60.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55347
65347
75248
85347
95248
105248
115149
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
175050
184951
195050
205050
215050
225149
235149
245149
255248
265248
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Riga gets around 52 mm of rain over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
229
329
429
529
630
730
831
932
1032
1133
1234
1334
1435
1535
1635
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2236
2335
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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
79910
89910
99910
109910
119820
129820
139820
149730
159730
169640
179640
189640
199550
209451
219361
229361
239361
249271
259181
269181
279091
289091
2989101
3089101
3188111

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 06 min at the start of May to 17 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:47 AM to 3:50 AM, and sunset from 7:54 PM to 8:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.14:477:54
215.24:457:57
315.34:427:59
415.34:408:01
515.44:388:03
615.54:358:05
715.64:338:07
815.64:318:09
915.74:298:11
1015.84:278:13
1115.84:248:15
1215.94:228:17
1316.04:208:19
1416.14:188:21
1516.14:168:23
1616.24:148:25
1716.24:128:27
1816.34:108:29
1916.44:098:31
2016.44:078:33
2116.54:058:35
2216.64:038:37
2316.64:028:39
2416.74:008:40
2516.73:598:42
2616.83:578:44
2716.83:568:45
2816.93:548:47
2916.93:538:49
3017.03:518:50
3117.03:508:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Riga?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Riga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Riga in May

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

In May, Riga sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Riga in May

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 19°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct11Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Riga in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Riga peaks around June 20 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Riga 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 Riga is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Riga's WHO annual average of 12.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 917 µg/m³Nov 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Riga?

Riga sits at 56.9°N, 24.1°E, 6 m above sea level, in Latvia. The nearest listed city is Dārzciems, 4.0 km away.

OgreJelgavaSiguldaTukums

Topography around Riga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Riga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 277 m.

The land around Riga is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, trees (47%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
52 m
80 km
277 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Dārzciems 4.0 km · Mārupe 6.0 km · Salaspils 18 km · Jūrmala 20 km · Ogre 34 km · Jelgava 41 km · Sigulda 51 km · Tukums 58 km

Latvia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 57% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,312
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 599
Religion
Lutheran 36%unspecified/none 24%Roman Catholic 20%Orthodox 19%

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 Riga (56.946°, 24.1059°, elevation 6 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. 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).