Bergen weather in May

In May, Bergen sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 116 mm of precipitation across 14 wet days and about 16.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 36 min at the start of May to 17 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bergen's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bergen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
116 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
16 h 54 min
4:08 AM – 9:01 PM
Cloud cover
61%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Bergen is Norwegian city in Vestland, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,373/km²
people per km²
Founded
1070

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 10°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Bergen reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1105
2105
3105
4105
5105
6105
7106
8116
9116
10116
11116
12116
13116
14116
15116
16116
17117
18127
19127
20127
21127
22127
23127
24128
25128
26138
27138
28138
29138
30138
31138

How May really feels in Bergen

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.

Bergen weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 25020.314.46.30.0
Feb / 20817.212.78.60.0
Mar / 19218.311.311.30.1
Apr / 13315.34.414.21.2
May11° / 116140.916.82.6
Jun14° / 10°12114.1018.53.6
Jul16° / 12°14916.4017.84.3
Aug17° / 12°18817.3015.44.3
Sep14° / 10°24917.7012.63.2
Oct10° / 25919.31.29.71.8
Nov / 25718.957.10.5
Dec / 2712010.95.50.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34357
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94654
104753
114753
124753
134654
144654
154654
164654
174555
184555
194456
204456
214456
224258
234357
244258
254258
264159
274159
284258
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bergen gets around 116 mm of rain and snow over 14 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 46% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1486
2486
3486
4475
5475
6465
7455
8455
9455
10455
11445
12444
13444
14444
15454
16453
17453
18463
19462
20462
21462
22461
23461
24461
25461
26461
27450
28450
29450
30450
31440

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 36 min at the start of May to 17 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 138 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:48 AM to 3:38 AM, and sunset from 8:24 PM to 9:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.64:488:24
215.74:458:27
315.84:428:29
415.94:398:32
516.04:378:34
616.04:348:37
716.14:318:39
816.24:298:42
916.34:268:44
1016.44:238:47
1116.54:218:49
1216.64:188:52
1316.64:168:54
1416.74:138:57
1516.84:118:59
1616.94:089:01
1717.04:069:04
1817.04:049:06
1917.14:029:08
2017.23:599:11
2117.33:579:13
2217.33:559:15
2317.43:539:18
2417.53:519:20
2517.53:499:22
2617.63:479:24
2717.73:459:26
2817.73:439:28
2917.83:429:30
3017.93:409:32
3117.93:389:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.15 kWh/m² to a high of 5.36 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bergen?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bergen.

What to pack for Bergen in May

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

In May, Bergen sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 7°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Bergen 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 25 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in March near 5°C.

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

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Bergen in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bergen peaks around June 17 at about 5 (moderate) — 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 17UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bergen?

Bergen sits at 60.4°N, 5.3°E, 20 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Nesttun, 8.0 km away.

StavangerSolaSandnesTime

Topography around Bergen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bergen has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 558 m around an average of 142 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,650 m.

The land around Bergen is covered by trees (46%), water (25%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and water (26%) within 16 km, and water (40%), trees (29%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
558 m
16 km
978 m
80 km
1,650 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Nesttun 8.0 km · Ytrebygda 10 km · Haugesund 109 km · Flam 111 km · Stavanger 160 km · Sola 168 km · Sandnes 173 km · Time 186 km

Norway travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 91% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$94,594
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 613
Religion
Church of Norway 68%other Christian 4%Muslim 3%Roman Catholic 3%

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 Bergen (60.393°, 5.3242°, elevation 20 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).