Giethoorn weather in May

In May, Giethoorn sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 61 mm of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 15.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Giethoorn's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Giethoorn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
61 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
15 h 30 min
4:46 AM – 8:18 PM
Cloud cover
65%
4th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Giethoorn is farm village in the Netherlands.

Founded
1230

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 16°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Giethoorn reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1167
2167
3168
4168
5168
6168
7168
8168
9168
10168
11168
12178
13179
14179
15179
16179
17179
18179
19179
20179
21179
221710
231810
241810
251810
261810
271810
281810
291810
301810
311911

How May really feels in Giethoorn

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.

Giethoorn weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6512.71.47.90.1
Feb / 5410.929.50.4
Mar / 5411.60.911.51.8
Apr13° / 459.70.113.63.8
May17° / 6111.7015.55.2
Jun19° / 12°6612.5016.55.6
Jul22° / 14°8014.2016.15.9
Aug22° / 14°7913.8014.55.9
Sep18° / 11°6511.1012.45.5
Oct14° / 6412.6010.33.7
Nov / 5612.70.28.51.7
Dec / 6813.21.57.50.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33763
43763
53862
63862
73862
83862
93961
103961
113961
123862
133862
143862
153763
163763
173763
183664
193664
203664
213664
223664
233664
243565
253565
263565
273565
283664
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Giethoorn gets around 61 mm of rain over 11.7 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
237
337
437
536
636
736
836
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1437
1537
1637
1737
1838
1938
2038
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2739
2839
2939
3039
3139

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39730
49730
59730
69640
79640
89640
99640
109550
119550
129550
139550
149460
159361
169361
179361
189361
199271
209271
219181
229082
238992
2488102
2586113
2686113
2785123
2883134
2982144
3080155
3179165

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:13 AM to 4:27 AM, and sunset from 7:52 PM to 8:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:137:52
214.75:117:54
314.85:097:56
414.85:077:58
514.95:057:59
615.05:048:01
715.05:028:03
815.15:008:05
915.14:588:06
1015.24:568:08
1115.34:548:10
1215.34:538:11
1315.44:518:13
1415.44:498:15
1515.54:488:16
1615.54:468:18
1715.64:458:19
1815.64:438:21
1915.74:428:22
2015.74:408:24
2115.84:398:26
2215.84:378:27
2315.94:368:28
2415.94:358:30
2516.04:338:31
2616.04:328:33
2716.14:318:34
2816.14:308:35
2916.14:298:37
3016.24:288:38
3116.24:278:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.08 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Giethoorn?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Giethoorn for sightseeing.

What to pack for Giethoorn in May

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

In May, Giethoorn sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Giethoorn in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 64 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Giethoorn 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 Giethoorn peaks around July 13 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Giethoorn?

Giethoorn sits at 52.7°N, 6.1°E, 0 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Steenwijk, 6.0 km away.

EmmeloordKampenZwolleHeerenveenHoogeveen

Topography around Giethoorn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Giethoorn has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8 m around an average of -1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 134 m.

The land around Giethoorn is covered by grassland (53%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
8 m
16 km
47 m
80 km
134 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Steenwijk 6.0 km · Meppel 9.0 km · Staphorst 14 km · Emmeloord 22 km · Kampen 23 km · Zwolle 25 km · Heerenveen 27 km · Hoogeveen 27 km

The Netherlands travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 84% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$73,684
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 624
Religion
none 54%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 15%other 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 Giethoorn (52.74°, 6.0792°, elevation 0 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).