Sortavala weather in May

In May, Sortavala sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 47 mm of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 17.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 48 min at the start of May to 18 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sortavala's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sortavala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
47 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
17 h 12 min
4:17 AM – 9:30 PM
Cloud cover
62%
1st clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Sortavala is town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia.

Density
1,384/km²
people per km²
Founded
1468

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 10°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sortavala reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1102
2102
3102
4113
5113
6113
7113
8113
9113
10123
11124
12124
13124
14124
15124
16134
17135
18135
19135
20135
21135
22146
23146
24146
25146
26146
27146
28157
29157
30157
31157

How May really feels in Sortavala

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 8 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
8
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sortavala 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-4° / -9°5112.113.75.90.0
Feb-4° / -9°4410.512.18.40.0
Mar / -5°419.89.911.30.0
Apr / -0°358.43.614.30.7
May13° / 479.20.417.23.5
Jun17° / 10°6110.90195.4
Jul21° / 14°7011.6018.26.1
Aug19° / 12°7512.2015.65.7
Sep14° / 5710.6012.63.7
Oct / 64121.79.60.9
Nov / -1°6312.36.96.70.0
Dec-2° / -5°6513.412.750.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34258
44357
54357
64357
74357
84357
94357
104357
114357
124456
134456
144456
154456
164456
174456
184456
194456
204357
214357
224357
234456
244456
254456
264555
274555
284555
294555
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Sortavala gets around 47 mm of rain and snow over 9.2 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 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1254
2263
3263
4263
5263
6262
7262
8262
9262
10272
11271
12271
13281
14281
15291
16291
17301
18301
19311
20311
21321
22320
23330
24330
25330
26340
27340
28340
29340
30340
31340

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 48 min at the start of May to 18 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 156 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:59 AM to 3:44 AM, and sunset from 8:49 PM to 10:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.84:598:49
215.94:568:52
316.04:538:55
416.14:518:57
516.24:489:00
616.34:459:03
716.44:429:06
816.54:399:08
916.64:369:11
1016.74:339:14
1116.84:319:16
1216.94:289:19
1316.94:259:22
1417.04:229:24
1517.14:209:27
1617.24:179:30
1717.34:159:32
1817.44:129:35
1917.54:109:37
2017.54:079:40
2117.64:059:42
2217.74:039:45
2317.84:009:47
2417.93:589:50
2517.93:569:52
2618.03:549:54
2718.13:529:57
2818.23:499:59
2918.23:4810:01
3018.33:4610:03
3118.43:4410:05

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.1 kWh/m² to a high of 5.67 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.23 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sortavala?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sortavala.

What to pack for Sortavala in May

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

In May, Sortavala sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sortavala in May

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 16°C and coldest in March near 0°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep13Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Sortavala 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 Sortavala peaks around July 13 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 5Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sortavala?

Sortavala sits at 61.7°N, 30.7°E, 3 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Priozërsk, 81 km away.

Topography around Sortavala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sortavala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m.

The land around Sortavala is covered by trees (47%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and water (23%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
188 m
80 km
292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Priozërsk 81 km · Savonlinna 98 km · Joensuu 110 km · Svetogorsk 119 km · Imatra 120 km · Kontiolahti 125 km · Lappeenranta 153 km · Vyborg 153 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 Sortavala (61.7123°, 30.7095°, elevation 3 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).