Magadan weather in May

In May, Magadan sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 41 mm of precipitation across 6.8 wet days and about 16.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 30 min at the start of May to 17 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Magadan's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Magadan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
5th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
8th coldest
Precipitation
41 mm
6.8 wet days
Daylight
16 h 42 min
3:32 AM – 8:14 PM
Cloud cover
69%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Magadan is city in northeastern Russia.

Density
315/km²
people per km²
Founded
1929

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 1°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical May day in Magadan reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 0°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-4
21-3
31-3
41-3
51-3
61-2
71-2
82-2
92-2
102-2
112-1
122-1
132-1
142-1
152-1
163-1
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2331
2441
2541
2641
2741
2842
2952
3052
3152

How May really feels in Magadan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Magadan 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-15° / -19°174.66.36.50.0
Feb-15° / -19°133.64.98.70.0
Mar-10° / -15°235.67.211.30.0
Apr-3° / -8°265.56.614.10.0
May / -1°416.84.516.70.0
Jun / 547.80.118.21.1
Jul12° / 728.7017.63.0
Aug13° / 11°10710.6015.33.5
Sep / 849.70.512.61.9
Oct / -1°649.65.99.80.0
Nov-7° / -10°548.49.87.30.0
Dec-13° / -16°235.67.55.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33763
43763
53763
63763
73763
83862
93862
103763
113763
123664
133664
143565
153565
163367
173367
183169
193169
203070
213070
222872
232971
242872
252872
262971
272872
282872
292872
302773
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Magadan gets around 41 mm of rain and snow over 6.8 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 21% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11920
21820
31819
41718
51617
61616
71616
81615
91615
101615
111715
121715
131815
141915
152015
162115
172215
182315
192415
202515
212615
222614
232614
242713
252712
262711
272610
28269
29268
30257
31255

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 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
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 30 min at the start of May to 17 h 42 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 4:10 AM to 3:04 AM, and sunset from 7:38 PM to 8:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.54:107:38
215.64:077:41
315.74:047:43
415.74:027:46
515.83:597:48
615.93:567:51
716.03:547:53
816.13:517:55
916.13:497:58
1016.23:468:00
1116.33:448:02
1216.43:418:05
1316.53:398:07
1416.53:378:09
1516.63:348:12
1616.73:328:14
1716.83:308:16
1816.83:288:18
1916.93:268:21
2017.03:238:23
2117.13:218:25
2217.13:198:27
2317.23:178:29
2417.33:168:31
2517.33:148:33
2617.43:128:35
2717.53:108:37
2817.53:088:39
2917.63:078:41
3017.63:058:43
3117.73:048:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.59 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Magadan

In seasonPeak

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

Magadan's rainy season runs June–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Magadan?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Magadan.

What to pack for Magadan in May

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

In May, Magadan sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatsun protection

Sea temperature near Magadan in May

The nearest coast averages about 1°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 19 km away) is warmest in August at about 13°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°5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan-1Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar-1Bracing
Apr-1Bracing
May1Bracing
Jun6Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct5Bracing
Nov2Bracing
Dec0Bracing

UV index in Magadan in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Magadan peaks around July 13 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Magadan?

Magadan sits at 59.6°N, 150.8°E, 71 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Okha, 818 km away.

OkhaYelizovoPetropavlovsk-KamchatskyVilyuchinskNikolayevsk-on-AmureYakutskPoronayskKomsomolsk-on-Amur

Topography around Magadan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Magadan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 m around an average of 78 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 853 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,530 m.

The land around Magadan is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (31%) within 16 km, and water (41%) and trees (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
417 m
16 km
853 m
80 km
1,530 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Okha 818 km · Yelizovo 847 km · Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 868 km · Vilyuchinsk 873 km · Nikolayevsk-on-Amure 944 km · Yakutsk 1,170 km · Poronaysk 1,252 km · Komsomolsk-on-Amur 1,327 km

Russia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,547
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
other Christian 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 Magadan (59.5627°, 150.8021°, elevation 71 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).