Santiago de Compostela weather in May

In May, Santiago de Compostela sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 92 mm of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Santiago de Compostela's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santiago de Compostela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
6:17 AM – 8:44 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Santiago de Compostela is city in Spain.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.7 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 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Santiago de Compostela reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
3169
4169
5169
6179
7179
8179
9179
10179
11179
121710
131710
141710
151710
161810
171810
181810
191810
201810
211810
221810
231810
241910
251911
261911
271911
281911
291911
301911
311911

Santiago de Compostela 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
Jan11° / 14113.99.22.5
Feb12° / 10011.610.23.0
Mar14° / 10612.111.63.9
Apr15° / 11514.413.14.1
May18° / 10°9213.114.45.2
Jun20° / 12°548.715.16.5
Jul22° / 14°305.914.87.5
Aug23° / 14°447.213.87.4
Sep21° / 13°699.112.36.7
Oct18° / 11°14013.510.85.2
Nov14° / 15115.39.53.5
Dec12° / 14213.88.92.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53268
63268
73268
83268
93268
103367
113466
123466
133466
143565
153664
163664
173664
183763
193862
203862
213862
223862
233961
243961
254060
263961
273862
283862
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Santiago de Compostela gets around 92 mm of rain over 13.1 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 42% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
346
446
546
646
746
846
945
1045
1145
1244
1343
1443
1542
1642
1741
1841
1940
2040
2140
2240
2339
2439
2539
2638
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19550
29460
39460
49460
59460
69460
79370
89370
99370
109370
119280
129280
139190
149190
1590100
1689110
1789110
1888120
1986140
2084151
2183161
2282171
2380191
2479201
2577212
2676222
2775232
2875232
2974242
3073252
3172253

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 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light 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 54 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 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 8:27 PM to 8:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.96:368:27
213.96:348:28
313.96:338:29
414.06:328:30
514.06:308:32
614.16:298:33
714.16:288:34
814.16:268:35
914.26:258:36
1014.26:248:37
1114.36:238:38
1214.36:218:39
1314.36:208:41
1414.46:198:42
1514.46:188:43
1614.46:178:44
1714.56:168:45
1814.56:158:46
1914.56:148:47
2014.66:138:48
2114.66:128:49
2214.66:118:50
2314.76:108:51
2414.76:108:52
2514.76:098:53
2614.86:088:54
2714.86:078:55
2814.86:078:56
2914.86:068:57
3014.96:058:57
3114.96:058:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Santiago de Compostela?

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
1.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Santiago de Compostela for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santiago de Compostela in May

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

In May, Santiago de Compostela sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santiago de Compostela in May

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 47 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 13°C.

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

12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb13Bracing
Mar13Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun16Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov15Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Santiago de Compostela?

Santiago de Compostela sits at 42.9°N, 8.5°W, 257 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is Teo, 10 km away.

Topography around Santiago de Compostela

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santiago de Compostela has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 332 m around an average of 265 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 519 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,174 m.

The land around Santiago de Compostela is covered by trees (48%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, trees (64%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (45%), water (30%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
332 m
16 km
519 m
80 km
1,174 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Teo 10 km · Ribeira 18 km · A Estrada 22 km · Vilagarcía de Arousa 36 km · Boiro 38 km · Carballo 39 km · Lalín 43 km · Culleredo 47 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 Santiago de Compostela (42.8805°, -8.5457°, elevation 257 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).