Marbella weather in May

In May, Marbella sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 33 mm of rain across 5.3 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Marbella's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Marbella's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
6th warmest
Overnight low
15°
7th coldest
Rainfall
33 mm
5.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
6:18 AM – 8:14 PM
Cloud cover
39%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
7.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Marbella is innhabited place in Marbella, Spain.

Air quality
Moderate
PM10 34.7 µg/m³ · 2019

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 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Marbella reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11813
21813
31813
41813
51813
61814
71914
81914
91914
101914
111914
121914
131914
141914
151914
161914
172015
182015
192015
202015
212015
222015
232015
242015
252015
262115
272116
282116
292116
302116
312116

Marbella weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 8499.84.1
Feb14° / 737.510.64.4
Mar15° / 11°807.911.75.1
Apr17° / 12°547.112.96.0
May19° / 15°335.313.97.3
Jun23° / 18°91.514.48.9
Jul26° / 20°10.214.29.4
Aug26° / 21°50.913.49.0
Sep23° / 19°313.712.28.4
Oct20° / 16°777.611.16.9
Nov16° / 12°938.110.15.6
Dec14° / 10°1169.19.64.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27228
37129
47129
57228
67129
77228
87228
97228
107228
117327
127327
137327
147426
157426
167426
177525
187525
197624
207723
217822
227822
237921
247921
258020
268020
278119
288218
298317
308317
318416

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Marbella gets around 33 mm of rain over 5.3 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 17% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
222
322
422
522
622
721
821
920
1019
1119
1218
1318
1417
1517
1617
1716
1816
1915
2015
2115
2214
2314
2414
2514
2613
2713
2812
2912
3011
3111

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 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
186140
285150
384160
483170
583170
682180
781190
881190
980200
1079210
1178220
1277230
1375241
1474251
1573261
1671281
1770291
1869301
1968311
2066331
2165341
2263361
2360382
2459392
2557412
2654433
2753443
2850464
2949474
3047485
3145506

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.

05101520151015202531
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 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:33 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 8:01 PM to 8:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.56:338:01
213.56:318:02
313.56:308:03
413.66:298:04
513.66:288:04
613.66:278:05
713.76:268:06
813.76:258:07
913.76:248:08
1013.86:238:09
1113.86:228:10
1213.86:218:11
1313.96:208:11
1413.96:198:12
1513.96:188:13
1613.96:188:14
1714.06:178:15
1814.06:168:16
1914.06:158:16
2014.06:158:17
2114.16:148:18
2214.16:138:19
2314.16:138:20
2414.16:128:20
2514.26:118:21
2614.26:118:22
2714.26:108:23
2814.26:108:23
2914.26:098:24
3014.36:098:25
3114.36:088:25

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.33 kWh/m² to a high of 7.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 7.11 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Marbella

In seasonPeak

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

Marbella's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Marbella?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Marbella for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Marbella in May

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

In May, Marbella sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Marbella 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 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 29 to Oct 3 — about 3.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Cool
Mar15Cool
Apr16Cool
May17Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Marbella in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Marbella peaks around July 17 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 17UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar7High
Apr9Very high
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Marbella?

Marbella sits at 36.5°N, 4.9°W, 57 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is San Pedro Alcántara, 10 km away.

Topography around Marbella

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Marbella has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 571 m around an average of 99 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,359 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,886 m.

The land around Marbella is covered by water (31%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (38%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and water (33%), trees (29%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
571 m
16 km
1,359 m
80 km
1,886 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: San Pedro Alcántara 10 km · Coín 20 km · Alhaurín el Grande 23 km · Fuengirola 23 km · Mijas 24 km · Estepona 25 km · Benalmádena 29 km · Cártama 31 km

Spain travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$38,627
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Roman Catholic 58%atheist 16%agnostic 11%non-believer 11%

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 Marbella (36.5154°, -4.8858°, elevation 57 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).