's-Hertogenbosch weather in May

In May, 's-Hertogenbosch sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 58 mm of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 15.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is 's-Hertogenbosch's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see 's-Hertogenbosch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 24 min
4:53 AM – 8:17 PM
Cloud cover
67%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

's-Hertogenbosch is capital city of North Brabant, the Netherlands.

Density
2,702/km²
people per km²
Founded
1185

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 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in 's-Hertogenbosch reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1168
2168
3168
4178
5178
6178
7178
8178
9179
10179
11179
12179
13189
14189
15189
16189
17189
181810
191810
201810
211810
221910
231910
241910
251910
261910
271911
281911
291911
301911
312011

How May really feels in 's-Hertogenbosch

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.

's-Hertogenbosch 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 / 6312.41.18.10.3
Feb / 55111.49.60.7
Mar10° / 5611.60.811.52.2
Apr14° / 4710.6013.64.0
May18° / 5811.6015.45.4
Jun20° / 12°6210.9016.36.0
Jul23° / 14°7613.5015.96.2
Aug22° / 14°7612.6014.46.2
Sep19° / 11°6111.2012.45.7
Oct14° / 6311.7010.44.0
Nov10° / 6212.40.48.61.8
Dec / 7013.11.57.70.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53367
63367
73466
83466
93466
103466
113466
123466
133466
143466
153466
163466
173466
183466
193367
203367
213367
223367
233367
243367
253367
263268
273268
283268
293268
303268
313169

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

's-Hertogenbosch gets around 58 mm of rain over 11.6 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 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
538
638
737
837
937
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2037
2137
2237
2337
2438
2538
2638
2738
2839
2939
3040
3140

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39820
49730
59730
69730
79640
89640
99640
109550
119550
129460
139460
149460
159271
169271
179181
189181
199091
209091
2189101
2287112
2386122
2486122
2584133
2683143
2781154
2880164
2978175
3077185
3175196

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:20 AM to 4:35 AM, and sunset from 7:52 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:207:52
214.65:187:54
314.75:167:56
414.75:147:57
514.85:127:59
614.85:108:01
714.95:088:02
815.05:068:04
915.05:058:06
1015.15:038:07
1115.15:018:09
1215.25:008:10
1315.24:588:12
1415.34:568:14
1515.34:558:15
1615.44:538:17
1715.44:528:18
1815.54:508:20
1915.54:498:21
2015.64:488:23
2115.64:468:24
2215.74:458:26
2315.74:448:27
2415.84:428:28
2515.84:418:30
2615.84:408:31
2715.94:398:32
2815.94:388:34
2916.04:378:35
3016.04:368:36
3116.04:358:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.58 kWh/m² to a high of 5.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit 's-Hertogenbosch?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit 's-Hertogenbosch for sightseeing.

What to pack for 's-Hertogenbosch in May

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

In May, 's-Hertogenbosch sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in 's-Hertogenbosch 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 's-Hertogenbosch peaks around July 14 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 14UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is 's-Hertogenbosch?

's-Hertogenbosch sits at 51.7°N, 5.3°E, 7 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Maaspoort, 3.0 km away.

WaalwijkOss

Topography around 's-Hertogenbosch

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Within 3 km, the terrain around 's-Hertogenbosch has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m.

The land around 's-Hertogenbosch is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, grassland (41%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (34%), trees (27%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
175 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Maaspoort 3.0 km · Vught 5.0 km · Boxtel 12 km · Schijndel 12 km · Zaltbommel 13 km · Oisterwijk 16 km · Waalwijk 16 km · Oss 16 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 's-Hertogenbosch (51.6992°, 5.3042°, elevation 7 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).