Schwyz weather in May

In May, Schwyz sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 196 mm of precipitation across 20.3 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Schwyz's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Schwyz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
196 mm
20.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
4:56 AM – 7:47 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.4 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 11°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Schwyz reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°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)
1112
2112
3113
4113
5123
6123
7123
8123
9123
10123
11124
12134
13134
14134
15134
16134
17134
18134
19144
20145
21145
22145
23145
24145
25145
26155
27156
28156
29156
30156
31156

How May really feels in Schwyz

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.

Schwyz weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -6°12813.513.68.70.0
Feb / -6°11712.712.4100.0
Mar / -3°13715.913.711.60.1
Apr / -0°14216.110.213.31.3
May13° / 19620.35.214.82.8
Jun17° / 22420.41.415.64.1
Jul19° / 10°22020.20.615.34.8
Aug19° / 10°22718.70.5144.9
Sep15° / 17115.92.312.43.8
Oct10° / 13513.75.510.62.2
Nov / -2°14314.211.39.10.2
Dec / -6°14014.713.68.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42872
52872
62971
72971
82971
92971
103070
113070
123070
133169
143169
153268
163268
173268
183367
193367
203466
213466
223565
233565
243565
253565
263565
273664
283664
293565
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Schwyz gets around 196 mm of rain and snow over 20.3 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 66% and peaks near 69% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16224
26324
36423
46423
56522
66522
76621
86621
96620
106620
116619
126619
136718
146718
156718
166717
176617
186616
196616
206516
216515
226514
236514
246513
256512
266512
276611
286610
296710
30689
31699

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 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 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 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:18 AM to 4:42 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 8:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:187:27
214.25:167:28
314.25:157:30
414.35:137:31
514.35:127:33
614.45:107:34
714.45:097:35
814.55:077:37
914.55:067:38
1014.65:047:39
1114.65:037:41
1214.75:027:42
1314.75:007:43
1414.84:597:44
1514.84:587:46
1614.84:567:47
1714.94:557:48
1814.94:547:49
1915.04:537:51
2015.04:527:52
2115.04:517:53
2215.14:497:54
2315.14:487:55
2415.24:477:57
2515.24:477:58
2615.24:467:59
2715.34:458:00
2815.34:448:01
2915.34:438:02
3015.34:428:03
3115.44:428:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.6 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.48 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Schwyz?

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

2.8
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 Schwyz.

What to pack for Schwyz in May

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

In May, Schwyz sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 4°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Schwyz 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 Schwyz 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Schwyz?

Schwyz sits at 47.0°N, 8.7°E, 521 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Einsiedeln, 14 km away.

ZugBaarChamRapperswilLucerneHorgenJona

Topography around Schwyz

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Schwyz has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,408 m around an average of 711 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,013 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,827 m.

The land around Schwyz is covered by grassland (48%) and trees (41%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (41%) within 16 km, and trees (39%) and grassland (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,408 m
16 km
2,013 m
80 km
3,827 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Einsiedeln 14 km · Zug 20 km · Baar 22 km · Cham 23 km · Rapperswil 26 km · Lucerne 27 km · Horgen 27 km · Jona 27 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 Schwyz (47.0208°, 8.6541°, elevation 521 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).