Östersund weather in May

In May, Östersund sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 54 mm of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 17.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 16 h 06 min at the start of May to 18 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Östersund's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Östersund's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
54 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
17 h 36 min
3:09 AM – 8:46 PM
Cloud cover
72%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Östersund is urban area in Östersund Municipality, Sweden.

Founded
1991

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 9°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical May day in Östersund reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
191
291
391
4101
5101
6101
7102
8102
9102
10112
11112
12112
13113
14113
15113
16123
17123
18123
19124
20124
21134
22134
23134
24134
25135
26135
27145
28145
29145
30146
31146

How May really feels in Östersund

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 15 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
15
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Östersund weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -9°391010.65.30.0
Feb-3° / -9°277.78.38.10.0
Mar / -6°318.37.711.20.0
Apr / -2°358.35.114.50.7
May12° / 5410.91.617.62.9
Jun16° / 7712.20.119.64.5
Jul18° / 10°9613.5018.85.4
Aug17° / 8112.4015.95.0
Sep12° / 6110.80.112.73.1
Oct / 5910.73.59.40.5
Nov / -4°4510.386.30.0
Dec-2° / -7°4010.19.64.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42674
52773
62773
72674
82674
92773
102872
112872
122773
132872
142872
152872
162872
172872
182872
192872
202872
212971
222872
232971
243070
253070
263169
273169
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Östersund gets around 54 mm of rain and snow over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13010
2319
3319
4329
5329
6338
7338
8338
9338
10348
11348
12348
13358
14358
15367
16367
17366
18376
19375
20375
21374
22374
23373
24373
25372
26372
27371
28371
29371
30361
31361

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 16 h 06 min at the start of May to 18 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 168 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 3:56 AM to 2:31 AM, and sunset from 8:02 PM to 9:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
116.13:568:02
216.23:528:05
316.33:498:08
416.43:468:11
516.53:438:14
616.63:408:17
716.73:368:20
816.83:338:23
916.93:308:26
1017.03:278:28
1117.13:248:31
1217.23:218:34
1317.33:188:37
1417.43:158:40
1517.53:128:43
1617.63:098:46
1717.73:068:49
1817.83:048:52
1917.93:018:55
2018.02:588:58
2118.12:559:00
2218.22:539:03
2318.32:509:06
2418.42:489:09
2518.42:459:11
2618.52:439:14
2718.62:409:17
2818.72:389:19
2918.82:369:22
3018.82:339:24
3118.92:319:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.07 kWh/m² to a high of 5.14 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 4.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Östersund?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Östersund.

What to pack for Östersund in May

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

In May, Östersund sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Östersund in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Östersund peaks around June 21 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 21UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Östersund?

Östersund sits at 63.2°N, 14.6°E, 328 m above sea level, in Sweden. The nearest listed city is Åre, 82 km away.

SundsvallLevangerHärnösandStjørdalshalsenÖrnsköldsvikHudiksvallTrondheim

Topography around Östersund

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Östersund has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m around an average of 329 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,292 m.

The land around Östersund is covered by trees (36%), water (31%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and water (20%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
174 m
16 km
227 m
80 km
1,292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Åre 82 km · Sundsvall 162 km · Levanger 177 km · Härnösand 178 km · Stjørdalshalsen 188 km · Örnsköldsvik 205 km · Hudiksvall 205 km · Trondheim 214 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 Östersund (63.1792°, 14.6357°, elevation 328 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).