Grimstad weather in May

In May, Grimstad sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 63 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 16.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 18 min at the start of May to 17 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Grimstad's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grimstad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
16 h 24 min
4:08 AM – 8:35 PM
Cloud cover
56%
1st clearest
Wind
16 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Grimstad is settlement in Grimstad Municipality, Norway.

Density
2,552/km²
people per km²
Founded
1816

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 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Grimstad reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 19°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)
1126
2126
3126
4126
5136
6136
7137
8137
9137
10137
11137
12147
13147
14147
15148
16148
17148
18148
19158
20158
21158
22159
23159
24159
25169
26169
27169
281610
291610
301610
311710

How May really feels in Grimstad

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.

Grimstad weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°10714.47.66.80.0
Feb / -1°7911.478.90.0
Mar / 7110.14.811.40.4
Apr10° / 589.91.3142.1
May14° / 6310016.44.2
Jun18° / 11°759.5017.85.8
Jul20° / 14°729.7017.26.4
Aug20° / 14°10112015.16.0
Sep16° / 11°10512.4012.54.6
Oct11° / 11914.10.39.92.5
Nov / 11514.82.47.50.8
Dec / 104144.26.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34951
45050
55149
65248
75248
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135446
145446
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205248
215149
225149
235149
245149
255248
265248
275248
285248
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Grimstad gets around 63 mm of rain over 10 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 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
234
334
433
532
632
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1332
1432
1533
1633
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2235
2335
2435
2534
2634
2734
2833
2933
3032
3132

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 99% 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
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min at the start of May to 17 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 126 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:44 AM to 3:42 AM, and sunset from 8:02 PM to 9:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.34:448:02
215.44:418:04
315.54:398:07
415.54:368:09
515.64:348:11
615.74:318:13
715.84:298:16
815.94:268:18
915.94:248:20
1016.04:228:22
1116.14:198:24
1216.24:178:27
1316.24:158:29
1416.34:138:31
1516.44:118:33
1616.44:088:35
1716.54:068:37
1816.64:048:39
1916.74:028:41
2016.74:008:44
2116.83:598:46
2216.83:578:48
2316.93:558:49
2417.03:538:51
2517.03:518:53
2617.13:508:55
2717.13:488:57
2817.23:478:59
2917.33:459:00
3017.33:449:02
3117.43:429:04

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 0.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 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
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
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
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Grimstad?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Grimstad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Grimstad in May

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

In May, Grimstad sees daytime highs around 14°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 Grimstad in May

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 18°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Grimstad 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 Grimstad peaks around August 10 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowAug 10UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Grimstad?

Grimstad sits at 58.3°N, 8.6°E, 9 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Arendal, 17 km away.

Topography around Grimstad

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grimstad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 340 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 930 m.

The land around Grimstad is covered by trees (39%) and water (30%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (40%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
124 m
16 km
340 m
80 km
930 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Arendal 17 km · Kristiansand 41 km · Porsgrunn 108 km · Skien 113 km · Larvik 115 km · Hjørring 127 km · Sandefjord 128 km · Skagen 136 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 Grimstad (58.3405°, 8.5934°, elevation 9 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).