Rostov-on-Don weather in May

In May, Rostov-on-Don sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 58 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rostov-on-Don's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rostov-on-Don's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:51 AM – 7:43 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Rostov-on-Don is city and administrative center of Rostov Oblast in southern Russia.

Density
3,243/km²
people per km²
Founded
1749

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 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Rostov-on-Don reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1199
2209
3209
4209
52010
62010
72110
82110
92110
102111
112111
122111
132211
142211
152212
162212
172212
182312
192312
202313
212313
222313
232313
242413
252413
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312514

How May really feels in Rostov-on-Don

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.

Rostov-on-Don weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -5°479.55.58.70.0
Feb / -5°408.44.6100.0
Mar / -0°449.43.411.61.1
Apr16° / 4290.113.34.9
May22° / 12°589.9014.86.8
Jun27° / 16°498.7015.66.8
Jul30° / 19°386.9015.35.9
Aug29° / 17°315.30146.4
Sep23° / 12°365.9012.47.6
Oct15° / 407.20.110.64.9
Nov / 407.11.79.10.9
Dec / -4°478.94.28.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35248
45248
55149
65149
75248
85149
95149
105248
115248
125248
135248
145347
155347
165446
175446
185446
195446
205545
215545
225545
235545
245545
255545
265545
275545
285545
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rostov-on-Don gets around 58 mm of rain over 9.9 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
227
327
428
529
630
730
831
932
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2932
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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196400
295500
395500
494600
593700
692800
791900
8901000
9881200
10861310
11851410
12841510
13821620
14801820
15791920
16772030
17762130
18742240
19732340
20702550
21682660
22682660
23662770
24642880
25642880
26622990
27622990
286129100
296129100
305930101
315830111

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
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light 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
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:13 AM to 4:37 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 8:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:137:23
214.25:127:25
314.35:107:26
414.35:097:27
514.45:077:29
614.45:057:30
714.55:047:32
814.55:027:33
914.65:017:34
1014.65:007:36
1114.64:587:37
1214.74:577:38
1314.74:557:40
1414.84:547:41
1514.84:537:42
1614.94:517:43
1714.94:507:45
1814.94:497:46
1915.04:487:47
2015.04:477:48
2115.14:467:50
2215.14:457:51
2315.14:447:52
2415.24:437:53
2515.24:427:54
2615.24:417:55
2715.34:407:56
2815.34:397:57
2915.34:387:58
3015.44:377:59
3115.44:378:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rostov-on-Don?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Rostov-on-Don for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rostov-on-Don in May

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

In May, Rostov-on-Don sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Rostov-on-Don in May

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 45 km away) is warmest in July at about 25°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 2 to Sep 11 — about 3.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May17Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug24Warm
Sep19Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Rostov-on-Don 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 Rostov-on-Don peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Rostov-on-Don in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Rostov-on-Don is worst in March — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 1618 µg/m³Dec 179 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug12Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rostov-on-Don?

Rostov-on-Don sits at 47.2°N, 39.7°E, 54 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Bataysk, 10 km away.

Topography around Rostov-on-Don

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rostov-on-Don.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rostov-on-Don has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 93 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 263 m.

The land around Rostov-on-Don is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, wetland (27%), artificial surfaces (23%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (68%) within 80 km.

3 km
93 m
16 km
133 m
80 km
263 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Bataysk 10 km · Aksay 13 km · Azov 25 km · Novocherkassk 37 km · Persianovka 40 km · Bagayevskaya 52 km · Taganrog 61 km · Zernograd 62 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 Rostov-on-Don (47.22°, 39.7077°, 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).