Ponta Delgada weather in May

In May, Ponta Delgada sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 64 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ponta Delgada's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponta Delgada's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
7th warmest
Overnight low
16°
6th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:38 AM – 7:40 PM
Cloud cover
60%
5th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Ponta Delgada is city seat of Ponta Delgada municipality, Azores, Portugal.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical May day in Ponta Delgada reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11615
21615
31615
41615
51615
61615
71615
81715
91715
101715
111715
121715
131715
141715
151716
161716
171716
181716
191716
201716
211716
221716
231716
241716
251816
261816
271816
281816
291816
301817
311817

Ponta Delgada weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 14°10213.39.74.5
Feb15° / 14°8610.610.54.4
Mar15° / 14°9712.211.74.5
Apr16° / 14°731012.94.8
May17° / 16°649.3145.6
Jun19° / 18°406.914.66.6
Jul21° / 20°184.714.37.6
Aug23° / 21°346.213.57.6
Sep22° / 21°589.912.36.8
Oct20° / 19°10813.9115.8
Nov18° / 17°8210.8105.6
Dec17° / 15°14414.79.44.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44753
54753
64852
74852
84951
94951
104951
114951
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
175050
185050
195050
205050
214951
225050
235050
244951
255050
264951
275050
285050
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ponta Delgada gets around 64 mm of rain over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
231
332
432
533
634
734
834
934
1034
1133
1233
1332
1431
1530
1630
1729
1828
1927
2026
2126
2226
2326
2426
2526
2626
2727
2827
2927
3028
3128

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 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1653050
2662950
3662950
4652960
5652960
6642970
7642970
8632980
9613090
10613090
116030100
125831110
135731120
145532130
155432140
165233150
175233150
185034160
194834170
204735180
214535190
224436200
234236211
244137221
253937231
263838241
273639251
283439261
293340261
303140281
313040291

Wind in May

Winds average 22 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 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 5:54 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 7:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:547:26
213.65:527:27
313.65:517:28
413.65:507:29
513.75:497:30
613.75:487:31
713.75:477:32
813.85:467:33
913.85:457:33
1013.85:447:34
1113.95:437:35
1213.95:427:36
1313.95:417:37
1414.05:407:38
1514.05:397:39
1614.05:387:40
1714.15:377:41
1814.15:367:41
1914.15:367:42
2014.15:357:43
2114.25:347:44
2214.25:337:45
2314.25:337:46
2414.25:327:47
2514.35:317:47
2614.35:317:48
2714.35:307:49
2814.35:307:50
2914.45:297:50
3014.45:297:51
3114.45:287:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.83 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.36 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ponta Delgada

In seasonPeak

None of Ponta Delgada's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Ponta Delgada sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Ponta Delgada?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ponta Delgada for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ponta Delgada in May

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

In May, Ponta Delgada sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Ponta Delgada in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 13 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in March near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 23 to Nov 6 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May18Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Ponta Delgada 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 Ponta Delgada peaks around August 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateAug 10UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ponta Delgada?

Ponta Delgada sits at 37.7°N, 25.7°W, 12 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Angra do Heroísmo, 169 km away.

Angra do HeroísmoCâmara de LobosSanto AntónioFunchalSão MartinhoCaniço

Topography around Ponta Delgada

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponta Delgada has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 228 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 937 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,068 m.

The land around Ponta Delgada is covered by water (48%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (66%) within 16 km, and water (92%) within 80 km.

3 km
228 m
16 km
937 m
80 km
1,068 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Angra do Heroísmo 169 km · Câmara de Lobos 971 km · Santo António 973 km · Funchal 974 km · São Martinho 974 km · Caniço 981 km · Los Llanos de Aridane 1,240 km · Santa Cruz de la Palma 1,246 km

Portugal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$32,082
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
8.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 612
Religion
Catholic 68%not applicable 13%no religion 12%no response 2%

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 Ponta Delgada (37.7395°, -25.6687°, elevation 12 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).