Grytviken weather in May

In May, Grytviken sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 119 mm of precipitation across 19.2 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -0°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of May to 7 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Grytviken's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grytviken's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
8th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
5th coldest
Precipitation
119 mm
19.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
8:15 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
82%
1st clearest
Wind
19 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
0.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Grytviken is abandoned whaling station; settlement on the island of South Georgia–South Sandwich Islands.

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 -0°C through the month.

A typical May day in Grytviken reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-2
20-2
30-2
40-3
50-3
60-3
70-3
80-3
90-3
100-3
110-3
120-3
130-3
140-3
150-3
160-3
170-3
18-1-3
19-1-3
20-1-3
21-1-4
22-1-4
23-1-4
24-1-4
25-1-4
26-1-4
27-1-4
28-1-4
29-1-4
30-1-4
31-1-4

How May really feels in Grytviken

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
4 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Grytviken weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12019.513.516.30.0
Feb / 11518.111.314.70.0
Mar / 13920.313.112.50.0
Apr / -1°13119.216.310.30.0
May-0° / -3°11919.218.78.30.0
Jun-2° / -5°11517.819.47.20.0
Jul-2° / -5°11818.420.87.60.0
Aug-2° / -5°12118.921.19.30.0
Sep-1° / -4°11317.219.311.50.0
Oct-0° / -3°10918.518.313.80.0
Nov / -2°10617.516.215.80.0
Dec / -1°108191616.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31585
41585
51585
61585
71585
81684
91684
101684
111684
121684
131783
141783
151783
161783
171783
181783
191783
201684
211684
221585
231585
241486
251486
261486
271387
281387
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Grytviken gets around 119 mm of rain and snow over 19.2 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 61% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days, and about 19 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16864
26865
36865
46866
56866
66765
76665
86664
96563
106463
116262
126261
136160
146059
155958
165957
175957
185856
195856
205856
215856
225856
235857
245857
255858
265858
275859
285859
295860
305860
315861

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 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of May to 7 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 102 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:48 AM to 8:38 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 4:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:484:59
29.17:494:57
39.17:514:55
49.07:534:53
58.97:554:51
68.97:574:48
78.87:594:46
88.78:014:44
98.78:024:43
108.68:044:41
118.58:064:39
128.58:084:37
138.48:104:35
148.48:114:33
158.38:134:32
168.38:154:30
178.28:164:28
188.18:184:26
198.18:204:25
208.08:214:23
218.08:234:22
227.98:254:20
237.98:264:19
247.88:284:17
257.88:294:16
267.78:314:15
277.78:324:14
287.68:344:12
297.68:354:11
307.68:374:10
317.58:384:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 0.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 0.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.0Dim
111.0Dim
121.0Dim
131.0Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Grytviken?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grytviken.

What to pack for Grytviken in May

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

In May, Grytviken sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Grytviken in May

The nearest coast averages about 2°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 February at about 4°C and coldest in August near 0°C.

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

-2°0°2°4°6°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May2Bracing
Jun1Bracing
Jul1Bracing
Aug0Bracing
Sep0Bracing
Oct1Bracing
Nov2Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Grytviken in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grytviken peaks around December 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateVery highDec 16UV 10Jun 16UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb7Very high
Mar4Moderate
Apr2Moderate
May1Low
Jun0Low
Jul1Low
Aug1Low
Sep3Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Grytviken?

Grytviken sits at 54.3°S, 36.5°W, 4 m above sea level, in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The nearest listed city is Stanley, 1,452 km away.

Topography around Grytviken

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grytviken has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 589 m around an average of 172 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,359 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,915 m.

The land around Grytviken is covered by bare terrain (59%) and water (24%) within 3 km, water (46%), snow and ice (24%) and bare terrain (22%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
589 m
16 km
2,359 m
80 km
2,915 m
grasslandbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Stanley 1,452 km · Río Grande 2,022 km · Ushuaia 2,035 km · Puerto Deseado 2,161 km · Río Gallegos 2,193 km · Punta Arenas 2,244 km · Caleta Olivia 2,342 km · Pico Truncado 2,349 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Grytviken (-54.2811°, -36.5092°, elevation 4 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).