Santa Cruz de la Palma weather in May

In May, Santa Cruz de la Palma sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 7 mm of rain across 2 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Santa Cruz de la Palma's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz de la Palma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
8th warmest
Overnight low
17°
5th coldest
Rainfall
7 mm
2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
6:25 AM – 7:50 PM
Cloud cover
40%
5th clearest
Wind
27 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
7.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Santa Cruz de la Palma is municipal capital of Santa Cruz de La Palma, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.5 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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical May day in Santa Cruz de la Palma reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

14°16°18°20°22°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11716
21716
31716
41716
51716
61716
71716
81716
91716
101716
111717
121817
131817
141817
151817
161817
171817
181817
191817
201817
211817
221817
231817
241817
251817
261817
271817
281817
291817
301817
311817

Santa Cruz de la Palma weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 16°326.510.46.0
Feb16° / 15°325.9115.8
Mar16° / 15°295.511.86.0
Apr17° / 16°153.712.76.4
May18° / 17°7213.47.1
Jun19° / 18°41.313.87.8
Jul20° / 19°31.113.68.2
Aug21° / 20°40.8138.5
Sep21° / 21°82.312.28.2
Oct21° / 20°266.611.37.3
Nov19° / 18°368.310.66.6
Dec18° / 17°518.810.26.3

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 27% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27822
37822
47921
57921
67921
77921
87921
98020
108020
118020
128020
138020
148020
158119
168119
178020
188020
198218
208218
218218
228317
238317
248317
258515
268515
278614
288614
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz de la Palma gets around 7 mm of rain over 2 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 6% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
48
58
68
78
87
97
107
117
127
137
146
156
166
176
186
196
206
216
226
235
245
255
265
275
285
295
305
315

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
147448
247459
346459
4454510
5444511
6444511
7434512
8424513
9414514
10404515
11394516
12374617
13364717
14354718
15344818
16324919
17315019
18305119
19285220
20275320
21265420
22245521
23235621
24225622
25205723
26195823
27175924
28165925
29155926
30136027
31126028

Wind in May

Winds average 27 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 28 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
527breezy
627breezy
727breezy
827breezy
927breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2228breezy
2328breezy
2428breezy
2528breezy
2628breezy
2728breezy
2828breezy
2928breezy
3028breezy
3128breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 7:41 PM to 7:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.16:367:41
213.16:357:41
313.16:347:42
413.26:337:43
513.26:327:43
613.26:327:44
713.26:317:44
813.36:307:45
913.36:297:46
1013.36:287:46
1113.36:287:47
1213.36:277:48
1313.46:267:48
1413.46:267:49
1513.46:257:49
1613.46:257:50
1713.46:247:51
1813.56:237:51
1913.56:237:52
2013.56:227:52
2113.56:227:53
2213.56:217:54
2313.66:217:54
2413.66:217:55
2513.66:207:55
2613.66:207:56
2713.66:197:57
2813.66:197:57
2913.66:197:58
3013.76:187:58
3113.76:187:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.38 kWh/m² to a high of 7.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.26 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz de la Palma

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Cruz de la Palma sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Santa Cruz de la Palma?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Santa Cruz de la Palma for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Cruz de la Palma in May

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

In May, Santa Cruz de la Palma sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Santa Cruz de la Palma in May

The nearest coast averages about 20°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 13 km away) is warmest in September at about 24°C and coldest in March near 19°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 1 to Jan 16 — about 8.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

18°20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb19Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr20Cool
May20Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep24Warm
Oct24Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Santa Cruz de la Palma in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz de la Palma peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Santa Cruz de la Palma 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 Santa Cruz de la Palma is worst in October — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Santa Cruz de la Palma's WHO annual average of 8.5 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1818 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb10Good
Mar6Good
Apr5Good
May4Good
Jun4Good
Jul5Good
Aug6Good
Sep9Good
Oct19Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz de la Palma?

Santa Cruz de la Palma sits at 28.7°N, 17.8°W, 18 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is Los Llanos de Aridane, 15 km away.

Arona

Topography around Santa Cruz de la Palma

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Cruz de la Palma.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz de la Palma has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 621 m around an average of 146 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,416 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,398 m.

The land around Santa Cruz de la Palma is covered by water (44%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, water (47%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (92%) within 80 km.

3 km
621 m
16 km
2,416 m
80 km
2,398 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Los Llanos de Aridane 15 km · Icod de los Vinos 108 km · Guía de Isora 110 km · Adeje 119 km · Realejo Alto 120 km · Los Realejos 120 km · Puerto de la Cruz 122 km · Arona 124 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 Santa Cruz de la Palma (28.6835°, -17.7642°, elevation 18 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).