Harlingen weather in May

In May, Harlingen sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 15.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Harlingen's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harlingen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:47 AM – 8:22 PM
Cloud cover
58%
1st clearest
Wind
22 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Harlingen is town in Friesland, the Netherlands.

Density
644/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 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Harlingen reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1129
2129
3129
4129
5129
6129
7139
8139
91310
101310
111310
121310
131310
141310
151310
161310
171411
181411
191411
201411
211411
221411
231411
241411
251511
261512
271512
281512
291512
301512
311512

How May really feels in Harlingen

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.

Harlingen weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 731417.90.2
Feb / 5411.31.49.40.1
Mar / 5111.20.711.50.9
Apr10° / 408.9013.62.4
May13° / 10°5710.4015.63.9
Jun16° / 13°6711.5016.64.9
Jul19° / 16°8412.5016.25.8
Aug19° / 16°10114014.55.6
Sep17° / 14°9213.4012.44.9
Oct13° / 11°9614.9010.33.3
Nov10° / 8715.80.18.41.7
Dec / 8615.10.97.40.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24555
34555
44654
54654
64753
74852
84951
94951
104951
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205050
214951
224951
234951
244753
254753
264753
274654
284555
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Harlingen gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.4 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
432
532
632
731
831
931
1031
1131
1232
1332
1432
1532
1633
1733
1833
1934
2034
2134
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3036
3136

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 95% 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
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129820
139820
149820
159730
169730
179730
189640
199640
209550
219550
229460
239271
249181
259091
2689101
2788111
2887121
2986131
3085141
3182162

Wind in May

Winds average 22 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 5:15 AM to 4:27 AM, and sunset from 7:56 PM to 8:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:157:56
214.85:137:58
314.85:118:00
414.95:098:02
514.95:078:03
615.05:058:05
715.15:038:07
815.15:018:09
915.24:598:10
1015.24:578:12
1115.34:558:14
1215.44:548:16
1315.44:528:17
1415.54:508:19
1515.54:498:21
1615.64:478:22
1715.64:458:24
1815.74:448:25
1915.74:428:27
2015.84:418:29
2115.84:398:30
2215.94:388:32
2315.94:378:33
2416.04:358:35
2516.04:348:36
2616.14:338:37
2716.14:328:39
2816.24:308:40
2916.24:298:42
3016.24:288:43
3116.34:278:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.52 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.54 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Harlingen?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harlingen.

What to pack for Harlingen in May

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

In May, Harlingen sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Harlingen 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 offshore 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 Harlingen 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 Harlingen peaks around June 23 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 23UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Harlingen?

Harlingen sits at 53.2°N, 5.4°E, 3 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Sneek, 22 km away.

SneekLeeuwardenHeerenveenDrachtenMedemblikDen HelderEnkhuizenJulianadorp

Topography around Harlingen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harlingen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 17 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m.

The land around Harlingen is covered by water (47%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (55%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and water (54%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
11 m
16 km
17 m
80 km
65 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Sneek 22 km · Leeuwarden 26 km · Heerenveen 41 km · Drachten 46 km · Medemblik 50 km · Den Helder 50 km · Enkhuizen 53 km · Julianadorp 56 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 Harlingen (53.1748°, 5.4224°, elevation 3 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).