Ephesus weather in May

In May, Ephesus sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 29 mm of rain across 5 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ephesus's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ephesus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
5th warmest
Overnight low
16°
8th coldest
Rainfall
29 mm
5 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:05 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
32%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Ephesus is town and district in İzmir Province, Turkey.

Density
92/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 23°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ephesus reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12313
22314
32314
42414
52414
62414
72414
82414
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142515
152515
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242717
252717
262717
272717
282717
292717
302817
312818

How May really feels in Ephesus

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.

Ephesus 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 12210.39.73.6
Feb14° / 10210.110.54.0
Mar16° / 778.511.75.5
Apr20° / 11°536.9137.1
May25° / 16°295148.1
Jun31° / 20°102.514.66.0
Jul34° / 23°20.414.44.1
Aug34° / 23°20.413.54.1
Sep30° / 20°222.612.36.7
Oct25° / 15°675.2118.1
Nov19° / 11°1047.99.96.6
Dec14° / 12011.19.44.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37525
47525
57525
67624
77624
87624
97723
107723
117723
127723
137822
147822
157921
167921
177921
188020
198020
208119
218119
228218
238218
248218
258317
268317
278317
288416
298416
308515
318614

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ephesus gets around 29 mm of rain over 5 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 15% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
316
416
516
616
716
816
916
1016
1116
1215
1315
1415
1515
1615
1715
1815
1915
2015
2115
2215
2315
2415
2515
2615
2715
2815
2915
3014
3114

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1702640
2672850
3662950
4653050
5633160
6613360
7593470
8583570
9563680
10543880
11523990
125040100
134841100
144643111
154344121
164145131
173946141
183747151
193548161
203348181
213249191
223049201
232949211
242849230
252749240
262648250
272548260
282448270
292447280
302347301
312246301

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:216:54
213.65:206:55
313.65:196:56
413.75:186:57
513.75:166:58
613.75:156:59
713.85:147:00
813.85:137:01
913.85:127:02
1013.95:117:03
1113.95:107:04
1213.95:097:04
1314.05:087:05
1414.05:077:06
1514.05:067:07
1614.05:057:08
1714.15:057:09
1814.15:047:10
1914.15:037:11
2014.25:027:12
2114.25:017:12
2214.25:017:13
2314.25:007:14
2414.34:597:15
2514.34:597:16
2614.34:587:16
2714.34:587:17
2814.44:577:18
2914.44:577:19
3014.44:567:20
3114.44:567:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.03 kWh/m² to a high of 7.79 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ephesus

In seasonPeak

None of Ephesus's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Ephesus's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Ephesus?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Ephesus for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ephesus in May

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

In May, Ephesus sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Ephesus in May

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 24°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Nov 5 — about 5.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Ephesus in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ephesus peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highModerateJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ephesus in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Ephesus is worst in March — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 2118 µg/m³Dec 1911 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ephesus?

Ephesus sits at 38.0°N, 27.4°E, 35 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Kuşadası, 14 km away.

Topography around Ephesus

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ephesus has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,009 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,124 m.

The land around Ephesus is covered by trees (49%) within 3 km, trees (60%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
377 m
16 km
1,009 m
80 km
2,124 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Kuşadası 14 km · Söke 23 km · Torbalı 26 km · İncirliova 33 km · Tire 36 km · Bayındır 38 km · Menderes 39 km · Aydın 43 km

Turkey travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$18,599
2025
Happiness
5.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
3.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
6.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 488
Religion
Muslim 100%other 0%

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 Ephesus (37.9514°, 27.3685°, elevation 35 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).