Groningen weather in May

In May, Groningen sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 60 mm of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 15.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 23% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Groningen's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Groningen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
60 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:42 AM – 8:18 PM
Cloud cover
64%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Groningen is capital city of the province of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,925/km²
people per km²
Founded
1040

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 Groningen reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°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)
1157
2157
3157
4157
5157
6157
7157
8168
9168
10168
11168
12168
13168
14168
15168
16168
17169
18179
19179
20179
21179
22179
23179
24179
25179
261710
271810
281810
291810
301810
311810

How May really feels in Groningen

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.

Groningen 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 / 6312.61.47.90.0
Feb / 4910.41.99.40.3
Mar / 4910.90.711.51.7
Apr13° / 4810.8013.63.5
May16° / 6011.8015.64.9
Jun19° / 11°7412.2016.65.6
Jul21° / 13°8714.3016.25.8
Aug21° / 13°8314014.65.8
Sep18° / 11°6812.1012.45.3
Oct14° / 6312.5010.33.6
Nov / 5712.30.18.41.5
Dec / 6312.41.67.40.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43961
54060
64060
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
133961
143961
153961
163862
173862
183862
193862
203763
213763
223664
233664
243664
253565
263565
273664
283664
293565
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Groningen gets around 60 mm of rain over 11.8 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 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
538
638
737
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2638
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29820
39820
49820
59820
69820
79730
89730
99730
109730
119640
129640
139550
149550
159550
169361
179361
189361
199271
209271
219181
229181
238992
248992
2588102
2688102
2787112
2885123
2984133
3083143
3182153

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 4:22 AM, and sunset from 7:52 PM to 8:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:107:52
214.85:087:54
314.85:067:55
414.95:047:57
515.05:027:59
615.05:008:01
715.14:588:03
815.14:568:04
915.24:548:06
1015.34:528:08
1115.34:518:09
1215.44:498:11
1315.44:478:13
1415.54:458:15
1515.54:448:16
1615.64:428:18
1715.64:418:19
1815.74:398:21
1915.84:378:23
2015.84:368:24
2115.94:358:26
2215.94:338:27
2316.04:328:29
2416.04:308:30
2516.04:298:32
2616.14:288:33
2716.14:278:35
2816.24:268:36
2916.24:258:37
3016.34:238:39
3116.34:228:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.52 kWh/m² to a high of 5.59 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.36 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Groningen?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Groningen for sightseeing.

What to pack for Groningen in May

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

In May, Groningen sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Groningen 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 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Groningen 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 Groningen peaks around June 21 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Groningen?

Groningen sits at 53.2°N, 6.6°E, 16 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Korrewegwijk, 1.0 km away.

VeendamAssenDelfzijlWinschotenDrachten

Topography around Groningen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Groningen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 93 m.

The land around Groningen is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, grassland (58%) within 16 km, and grassland (34%), water (30%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
34 m
80 km
93 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Korrewegwijk 1.0 km · Leek 14 km · Hoogezand 14 km · Veendam 24 km · Assen 25 km · Delfzijl 26 km · Winschoten 32 km · Drachten 33 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 Groningen (53.2192°, 6.5667°, elevation 16 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).