Fribourg weather in May

In May, Fribourg sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 157 mm of precipitation across 17.5 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Fribourg's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fribourg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
157 mm
17.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
5:03 AM – 7:52 PM
Cloud cover
65%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.7 µg/m³ · 2020

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 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Fribourg reaches about 16°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 10°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1145
2145
3155
4155
5156
6156
7156
8156
9156
10156
11156
12166
13166
14167
15167
16167
17167
18167
19177
20177
21177
22177
23178
24178
25178
26188
27188
28188
29188
30189
31189

How May really feels in Fribourg

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.

Fribourg weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -4°10112.810.88.80.0
Feb / -3°9211.49.8100.0
Mar / -0°9913.38.611.61.5
Apr12° / 10714.36.213.32.9
May16° / 15717.52.514.84.2
Jun20° / 10°15017.30.415.65.2
Jul22° / 12°15916.30.215.35.8
Aug21° / 12°15015.50.1145.9
Sep17° / 11712.8112.45.2
Oct13° / 10412.42.610.63.3
Nov / 11113.37.19.20.8
Dec / -3°11813.8118.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33169
43169
53169
63268
73268
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133466
143565
153565
163565
173763
183763
193961
204060
214060
224159
234159
244159
254357
264357
274258
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Fribourg gets around 157 mm of rain and snow over 17.5 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 56% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15612
25712
35812
45811
55911
65911
75910
85910
95910
105910
11589
12589
13589
14578
15578
16568
17568
18558
19547
20547
21537
22537
23536
24536
25546
26546
27555
28555
29565
30574
31584

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
191000
20991
21991
22991
23982
24982
25982
26973
27964
28964
29955
30946
31928

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:25 AM to 4:48 AM, and sunset from 7:33 PM to 8:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:257:33
214.25:237:34
314.25:217:35
414.35:207:37
514.35:187:38
614.45:177:39
714.45:157:41
814.55:147:42
914.55:127:43
1014.65:117:45
1114.65:107:46
1214.75:087:47
1314.75:077:48
1414.75:067:50
1514.85:047:51
1614.85:037:52
1714.95:027:54
1814.95:017:55
1914.94:597:56
2015.04:587:57
2115.04:577:58
2215.14:567:59
2315.14:558:01
2415.14:548:02
2515.24:538:03
2615.24:528:04
2715.24:528:05
2815.34:518:06
2915.34:508:07
3015.34:498:08
3115.34:488:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.4 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Fribourg?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Fribourg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fribourg in May

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

In May, Fribourg sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Fribourg 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 Fribourg 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
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Fribourg?

Fribourg sits at 46.8°N, 7.2°E, 610 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Bulle, 22 km away.

BulleKönizNeuchâtelBernThunSteffisburgBiel/BienneYverdon-les-Bains

Topography around Fribourg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fribourg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 237 m around an average of 642 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,279 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,826 m.

The land around Fribourg is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, grassland (36%), trees (34%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and grassland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
237 m
16 km
1,279 m
80 km
3,826 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
May weather nearby: Bulle 22 km · Köniz 24 km · Neuchâtel 27 km · Bern 28 km · Thun 36 km · Steffisburg 37 km · Biel/Bienne 38 km · Yverdon-les-Bains 39 km

Switzerland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / J
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 112% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$114,769
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 564
Religion
Roman Catholic 34%none 29%Protestant 23%other Christian 6%

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 Fribourg (46.8024°, 7.1513°, elevation 610 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).