Zaandam weather in May

In May, Zaandam sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 58 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 15.5 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 16°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 36 min at the start of May to 16 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Zaandam's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zaandam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 30 min
4:52 AM – 8:22 PM
Cloud cover
61%
2nd clearest
Wind
18 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Zaandam is city in Zaanstad, Netherlands.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 11.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,118/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 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Zaandam reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 5°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 3°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
4149
5149
6149
7149
8149
9149
10159
11159
12159
131510
141510
151510
161510
171510
181510
191510
201610
211610
221610
231611
241611
251611
261611
271611
281611
291711
301711
311711

How May really feels in Zaandam

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.

Zaandam 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 / 6913.20.980.3
Feb / 5410.91.49.50.4
Mar / 5210.80.711.51.5
Apr12° / 4410.1013.63.0
May15° / 10°5810.4015.54.6
Jun18° / 13°6311.3016.55.5
Jul20° / 15°7913.1016.15.9
Aug20° / 15°9013.3014.55.9
Sep18° / 13°8412.7012.45.2
Oct14° / 10°8814.1010.33.6
Nov10° / 7714.80.28.51.8
Dec / 8014.30.97.50.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

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 (%)
14159
24258
34258
44258
54357
64456
74555
84555
94654
104654
114555
124555
134654
144555
154654
164654
174654
184555
194555
204555
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264357
274357
284357
294258
304258
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Zaandam gets around 58 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
434
534
633
733
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1833
1933
2033
2134
2234
2334
2435
2535
2635
2736
2836
2936
3037
3137

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
29910
39910
49910
59820
69820
79820
89820
99730
109730
119730
129640
139640
149640
159640
169550
179550
189460
199361
209271
219181
229181
239091
2489101
2587121
2685132
2784142
2883152
2981172
3080182
3178202

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.

05101520151015202531
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
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 36 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 96 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:19 AM to 4:33 AM, and sunset from 7:57 PM to 8:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.65:197:57
214.75:177:58
314.75:158:00
414.85:138:02
514.95:118:03
614.95:108:05
715.05:088:07
815.05:068:08
915.15:048:10
1015.25:028:12
1115.25:018:13
1215.34:598:15
1315.34:578:17
1415.44:568:18
1515.44:548:20
1615.54:528:22
1715.54:518:23
1815.64:498:25
1915.64:488:26
2015.74:468:28
2115.74:458:29
2215.84:448:31
2315.84:428:32
2415.94:418:34
2515.94:408:35
2616.04:398:36
2716.04:388:38
2816.04:368:39
2916.14:358:40
3016.14:348:42
3116.24:338:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.43 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Zaandam?

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 Zaandam for sightseeing.

What to pack for Zaandam in May

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

In May, Zaandam sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Zaandam 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 25 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
Apr8Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Zaandam 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 Zaandam peaks around June 23 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Zaandam?

Zaandam sits at 52.4°N, 4.8°E, -1 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Zaanstad, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Zaandam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zaandam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 136 m.

The land around Zaandam is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 16 km, and water (38%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
66 m
80 km
136 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Zaanstad 2.0 km · Assendelft 7.0 km · Amsterdam 8.0 km · Velserbroek 11 km · Badhoevedorp 12 km · Purmerend 12 km · Velsen-Zuid 12 km · Beverwijk 13 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 Zaandam (52.4385°, 4.8264°, 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).