Sarpsborg weather in May

In May, Sarpsborg sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 61 mm of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 16.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 24 min at the start of May to 17 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sarpsborg's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sarpsborg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
61 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
16 h 36 min
3:53 AM – 8:31 PM
Cloud cover
58%
1st clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Sarpsborg is settlement in Sarpsborg Municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 10 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,441/km²
people per km²
Founded
1016

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 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sarpsborg reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1135
2135
3145
4145
5146
6146
7146
8146
9146
10156
11156
12156
13157
14157
15157
16157
17167
18167
19168
20168
21168
22168
23178
24178
25179
26179
27179
28189
29189
30189
31189

How May really feels in Sarpsborg

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.

Sarpsborg weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°6510.76.36.60.0
Feb / -3°508.55.98.70.0
Mar / -1°458.14.211.30.4
Apr11° / 478.51.214.12.6
May16° / 6110.30.216.64.8
Jun19° / 11°7811.2018.15.9
Jul21° / 13°7711.6017.56.3
Aug20° / 13°8612.4015.36.0
Sep16° / 8110.5012.65.0
Oct11° / 8711.60.69.82.4
Nov / 81122.27.30.4
Dec / -2°7011.44.55.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34456
44555
54753
64753
74753
84852
94951
104852
114852
124852
134852
144852
154753
164753
174753
184753
194753
204852
214852
224852
234852
244852
254852
264951
275050
285050
295050
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Sarpsborg gets around 61 mm of rain and snow 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 precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1322
2322
3332
4331
5321
6321
7321
8321
9321
10321
11321
12321
13321
14321
15320
16330
17330
18340
19340
20340
21340
22350
23350
24350
25350
26350
27350
28340
29340
30340
31330

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
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 24 min at the start of May to 17 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 132 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:30 AM to 3:25 AM, and sunset from 7:56 PM to 9:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.44:307:56
215.54:277:58
315.64:248:01
415.74:228:03
515.84:198:06
615.94:178:08
715.94:148:10
816.04:118:13
916.14:098:15
1016.24:078:17
1116.34:048:20
1216.34:028:22
1316.43:598:24
1416.53:578:26
1516.63:558:29
1616.63:538:31
1716.73:508:33
1816.83:488:35
1916.93:468:38
2016.93:448:40
2117.03:428:42
2217.13:408:44
2317.13:388:46
2417.23:368:48
2517.33:358:50
2617.33:338:52
2717.43:318:54
2817.43:298:56
2917.53:288:58
3017.63:268:59
3117.63:259:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.23 kWh/m² to a high of 5.74 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.34 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sarpsborg?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sarpsborg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sarpsborg in May

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

In May, Sarpsborg sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sarpsborg in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 22 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 3°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
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Sarpsborg 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 Sarpsborg peaks around June 20 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 20UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sarpsborg?

Sarpsborg sits at 59.3°N, 11.1°E, 54 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Fredrikstad, 13 km away.

Topography around Sarpsborg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sarpsborg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 40 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 234 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 684 m.

The land around Sarpsborg is covered by trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (62%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
234 m
80 km
684 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Fredrikstad 13 km · Halden 24 km · Moss 31 km · Horten 38 km · Tønsberg 40 km · Sandefjord 54 km · Larvik 66 km · Asker 72 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 Sarpsborg (59.2839°, 11.1096°, elevation 54 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).