Karlskrona weather in May

In May, Karlskrona sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 44 mm of rain across 9 wet days and about 16 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 hours at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Karlskrona's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karlskrona's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
44 mm
9 wet days
Daylight
16 hours
3:52 AM – 7:55 PM
Cloud cover
56%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Karlskrona is urban area in Karlskrona Municipality, Sweden.

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1680

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 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Karlskrona reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1125
2125
3125
4125
5125
6125
7125
8136
9136
10136
11136
12136
13136
14136
15137
16147
17147
18147
19147
20147
21148
22158
23158
24158
25158
26158
27159
28159
29169
30169
31169

How May really feels in Karlskrona

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.

Karlskrona weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°4710.65.57.30.0
Feb / -2°409.25.89.10.0
Mar / -0°348.73.511.40.2
Apr / 327.50.913.81.9
May14° / 4490164.1
Jun17° / 11°559.7017.25.6
Jul20° / 14°6710.3016.86.3
Aug20° / 14°6411.6014.96.1
Sep16° / 11°539.6012.54.9
Oct11° / 5810.80.210.12.6
Nov / 56121.37.90.6
Dec / 5311.43.76.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44951
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155050
165050
175050
185050
195050
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
265050
274951
285050
295050
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Karlskrona gets around 44 mm of rain over 9 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1128
1228
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2729
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 99% 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
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28973
29973
30973
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:24 AM to 3:29 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 8:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.04:247:26
215.14:227:28
315.24:197:30
415.24:177:32
515.34:157:34
615.44:137:36
715.54:117:38
815.54:087:40
915.64:067:42
1015.74:047:44
1115.74:027:46
1215.84:007:48
1315.93:587:50
1415.93:567:52
1516.03:547:53
1616.03:527:55
1716.13:517:57
1816.23:497:59
1916.23:478:01
2016.33:458:03
2116.33:448:05
2216.43:428:06
2316.53:408:08
2416.53:398:10
2516.63:378:11
2616.63:368:13
2716.73:348:15
2816.73:338:16
2916.83:328:18
3016.83:318:19
3116.93:298:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.33 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.5 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Karlskrona?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Karlskrona for sightseeing.

What to pack for Karlskrona in May

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

In May, Karlskrona sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Karlskrona in May

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr5Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Karlskrona in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Karlskrona peaks around June 18 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 18UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Karlskrona?

Karlskrona sits at 56.2°N, 15.6°E, 18 m above sea level, in Sweden. The nearest listed city is Karlshamn, 45 km away.

VäxjöHässleholmLjungbyOskarshamnYstad

Topography around Karlskrona

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karlskrona has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 m.

The land around Karlskrona is covered by water (76%) within 3 km, water (42%) and trees (40%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
124 m
80 km
276 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Karlshamn 45 km · Kalmar 73 km · Kristianstad 90 km · Växjö 93 km · Hässleholm 113 km · Ljungby 126 km · Oskarshamn 133 km · Ystad 137 km

Sweden travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 87% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$63,133
2025
Happiness
7.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 609
Religion
Church of Sweden 54%none or unspecified 37%other 9%

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 Karlskrona (56.1616°, 15.5866°, 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. 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).