La Chaux-de-Fonds weather in May

In May, La Chaux-de-Fonds sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 147 mm of precipitation across 17.6 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-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 15% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is La Chaux-de-Fonds's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Chaux-de-Fonds's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
147 mm
17.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
5:03 AM – 7:55 PM
Cloud cover
70%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

La Chaux-de-Fonds is municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.

Density
681/km²
people per km²

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 23°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)
1156
2156
3156
4157
5157
6157
7157
8167
9167
10167
11167
12167
13167
14168
15168
16168
17178
18178
19178
20178
21178
22178
23189
24189
25189
26189
27189
28189
29189
30189
311810

How May really feels in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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.

La Chaux-de-Fonds weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°10913.59.18.70.0
Feb / -2°9712.39.1100.0
Mar / 10713.76.311.61.4
Apr13° / 11215.33.613.32.9
May17° / 14717.60.614.84.3
Jun20° / 11°14217015.65.2
Jul22° / 13°14916.7015.35.7
Aug22° / 13°14815.80145.8
Sep17° / 10°11614012.45.0
Oct13° / 11613.70.910.63.1
Nov / 11513.559.10.8
Dec / -1°12814.68.88.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32674
42674
52674
62674
72773
82773
92773
102773
112773
122872
132872
142872
152971
163070
173070
183268
193268
203367
213367
223466
233466
243466
253664
263664
273664
283565
293565
303565
313367

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

La Chaux-de-Fonds gets around 147 mm of rain and snow over 17.6 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 58% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1594
2604
3604
4614
5613
6613
7613
8613
9613
10613
11613
12612
13602
14602
15592
16592
17581
18571
19561
20551
21541
22541
23530
24530
25530
26530
27530
28540
29550
30560
31570

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
1110000
1210000
1310000
149910
159910
169910
179820
189820
199730
209730
219640
229550
239460
249460
259370
269280
2790100
2889110
2988120
3087130
3184151

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 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 4:49 AM, and sunset from 7:35 PM to 8:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:257:35
214.25:247:36
314.35:227:37
414.35:207:39
514.45:197:40
614.45:177:41
714.45:167:43
814.55:147:44
914.55:137:45
1014.65:117:47
1114.65:107:48
1214.75:097:49
1314.75:077:51
1414.85:067:52
1514.85:057:53
1614.95:037:55
1714.95:027:56
1814.95:017:57
1915.05:007:58
2015.04:597:59
2115.14:588:01
2215.14:578:02
2315.14:558:03
2415.24:558:04
2515.24:548:05
2615.24:538:06
2715.34:528:07
2815.34:518:08
2915.34:508:10
3015.44:498:11
3115.44:498:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.81 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.25 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit La Chaux-de-Fonds?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit La Chaux-de-Fonds for sightseeing.

What to pack for La Chaux-de-Fonds in May

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

In May, La Chaux-de-Fonds sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 8°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 La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is La Chaux-de-Fonds?

La Chaux-de-Fonds sits at 47.1°N, 6.8°E, 995 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Neuchâtel, 14 km away.

Biel/BienneYverdon-les-BainsFribourgPontarlierAudincourtGrenchenMontbéliard

Topography around La Chaux-de-Fonds

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Within 3 km, the terrain around La Chaux-de-Fonds has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 361 m around an average of 1,087 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,112 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,174 m.

The land around La Chaux-de-Fonds is covered by grassland (50%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and grassland (44%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
361 m
16 km
1,112 m
80 km
2,174 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Neuchâtel 14 km · Biel/Bienne 32 km · Yverdon-les-Bains 38 km · Fribourg 41 km · Pontarlier 42 km · Audincourt 43 km · Grenchen 44 km · Montbéliard 46 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds (47.0999°, 6.8259°, elevation 995 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).