Leeuwarden weather in May

In May, Leeuwarden sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.8 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 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Leeuwarden's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Leeuwarden's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:45 AM – 8:21 PM
Cloud cover
60%
1st clearest
Wind
18 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Leeuwarden is capital city of Friesland, the Netherlands.

Density
1,483/km²
people per km²
Founded
1435

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 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Leeuwarden reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 21°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)
1148
2148
3148
4148
5148
6148
7148
8148
9148
10159
11159
12159
13159
14159
15159
16159
17159
18159
191510
201610
211610
221610
231610
241610
251610
261610
271610
281711
291711
301711
311711

How May really feels in Leeuwarden

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.

Leeuwarden 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 / 6512.91.17.90.1
Feb / 4910.41.69.40.2
Mar / 4810.80.811.51.3
Apr12° / 419.3013.63.1
May15° / 5710.8015.64.6
Jun18° / 12°6511.7016.65.4
Jul20° / 14°7813.2016.25.9
Aug20° / 15°8413.9014.55.8
Sep17° / 12°7512.8012.45.1
Oct14° / 7513.8010.33.4
Nov / 6613.90.18.41.6
Dec / 7113.41.17.40.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104654
114654
124654
134654
144753
154654
164654
174654
184654
194555
204555
214555
224555
234456
244456
254357
264357
274258
284258
294258
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Leeuwarden gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
335
435
535
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1835
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69820
79820
89820
99820
109730
119730
129730
139640
149640
159550
169550
179550
189361
199361
209271
219271
229271
239181
249091
258992
2688102
2787112
2886122
2985132
3084142
3182153

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light 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 5:13 AM to 4:26 AM, and sunset from 7:55 PM to 8:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:137:55
214.85:117:57
314.85:097:58
414.95:078:00
515.05:058:02
615.05:038:04
715.15:018:06
815.14:598:07
915.24:578:09
1015.34:568:11
1115.34:548:12
1215.44:528:14
1315.44:508:16
1415.54:498:17
1515.54:478:19
1615.64:458:21
1715.64:448:22
1815.74:428:24
1915.84:418:26
2015.84:398:27
2115.94:388:29
2215.94:368:30
2315.94:358:32
2416.04:348:33
2516.04:328:35
2616.14:318:36
2716.14:308:37
2816.24:298:39
2916.24:288:40
3016.24:278:41
3116.34:268:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.52 kWh/m² to a high of 5.75 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Leeuwarden?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Leeuwarden for sightseeing.

What to pack for Leeuwarden in May

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

In May, Leeuwarden sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Leeuwarden in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Leeuwarden 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 Leeuwarden 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 Leeuwarden?

Leeuwarden sits at 53.2°N, 5.8°E, 1 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Sneek, 21 km away.

SneekDrachtenHarlingenHeerenveenLeekGroningenKorrewegwijkSteenwijk

Topography around Leeuwarden

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Leeuwarden has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 17 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m.

The land around Leeuwarden is covered by artificial surfaces (42%), grassland (28%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
17 m
16 km
21 m
80 km
62 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Sneek 21 km · Drachten 22 km · Harlingen 26 km · Heerenveen 28 km · Leek 38 km · Groningen 50 km · Korrewegwijk 51 km · Steenwijk 51 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 Leeuwarden (53.2027°, 5.8097°, elevation 1 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).