Ponferrada weather in May

In May, Ponferrada sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 69 mm of precipitation across 12.2 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ponferrada's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponferrada's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
69 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
6:10 AM – 8:35 PM
Cloud cover
62%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Ponferrada is municipal capital of Ponferrada and capital of El Bierzo comarca, Léon, Spain.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18 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 15°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ponferrada reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1155
2155
3155
4155
5156
6166
7166
8166
9166
10166
11166
12166
13176
14177
15177
16177
17177
18177
19187
20187
21187
22188
23188
24188
25198
26198
27198
28198
29199
30199
31199

How May really feels in Ponferrada

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.

Ponferrada 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 / 7910.84.19.21.0
Feb / 599410.31.7
Mar12° / 69112.911.63.0
Apr14° / 73131.613.13.6
May17° / 6912.20.114.45.2
Jun22° / 10°417.6015.17.1
Jul25° / 13°265.2014.88.0
Aug25° / 12°295.3013.78.0
Sep21° / 10°417.2012.37.1
Oct16° / 8410.90.110.84.7
Nov10° / 8111.81.29.62.3
Dec / 84112.58.91.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33169
43169
53169
63268
73367
83466
93565
103565
113664
123763
133862
143961
153961
164060
174258
184258
194357
204456
214555
224555
234654
244555
254654
264654
274654
284753
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ponferrada gets around 69 mm of rain and snow over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1142
1242
1342
1441
1541
1640
1740
1839
1938
2038
2137
2237
2336
2436
2536
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3134

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
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 8:19 PM to 8:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.86:298:19
213.96:278:20
313.96:268:21
414.06:258:22
514.06:238:23
614.06:228:24
714.16:218:25
814.16:198:26
914.26:188:28
1014.26:178:29
1114.26:168:30
1214.36:158:31
1314.36:138:32
1414.36:128:33
1514.46:118:34
1614.46:108:35
1714.56:098:36
1814.56:088:37
1914.56:078:38
2014.66:068:39
2114.66:058:40
2214.66:048:41
2314.66:048:42
2414.76:038:43
2514.76:028:44
2614.76:018:45
2714.86:018:46
2814.86:008:47
2914.85:598:48
3014.85:598:49
3114.95:588:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.02 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ponferrada?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ponferrada for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ponferrada in May

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

In May, Ponferrada sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 7°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Ponferrada 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 Ponferrada peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 14UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ponferrada 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 Ponferrada is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul19Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct18Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ponferrada?

Ponferrada sits at 42.5°N, 6.6°W, 519 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is Villafranca del Bierzo, 19 km away.

Topography around Ponferrada

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponferrada has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 323 m around an average of 563 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,658 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,238 m.

The land around Ponferrada is covered by trees (36%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
323 m
16 km
1,658 m
80 km
2,238 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Villafranca del Bierzo 19 km · Monforte de Lemos 75 km · San Andrés del Rabanedo 81 km · Bragança 83 km · León 84 km · Villaquilambre 86 km · Lugo 94 km · Benavente 97 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 Ponferrada (42.5466°, -6.5962°, elevation 519 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. 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).