Kars weather in May

In May, Kars sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 126 mm of precipitation across 21 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kars's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kars's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
126 mm
21 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
3:56 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Kars is central district and city in Kars Province, Turkey.

Air quality
Moderate
PM10 45 µg/m³ · 2019

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 13°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kars reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1122
2132
3132
4132
5132
6132
7133
8143
9143
10143
11143
12143
13154
14154
15154
16154
17154
18164
19164
20165
21165
22165
23175
24175
25175
26175
27176
28176
29186
30186
31186

How May really feels in Kars

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Kars weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -13°357.48.49.40.0
Feb-2° / -11°408.39.210.40.0
Mar / -6°6612.410.511.70.1
Apr10° / -1°9916.77.1131.8
May15° / 126211.614.23.5
Jun20° / 9015.90.114.85.6
Jul23° / 11°6012.5014.66.9
Aug24° / 11°4811.1013.67.3
Sep20° / 347.20.212.37.1
Oct14° / 4991.310.94.2
Nov / -4°366.75.19.70.6
Dec-1° / -10°3678.19.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43565
53565
63565
73565
83664
93664
103664
113763
123763
133862
144060
154060
164159
174159
184357
194456
204555
214654
224753
234852
244852
255050
265050
275248
285248
295347
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Kars gets around 126 mm of rain and snow over 21 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 67% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16514
26613
36612
46711
56810
66910
7699
8708
9708
10707
11707
12706
13705
14705
15704
16704
17693
18693
19683
20682
21672
22662
23662
24652
25651
26641
27641
28631
29621
30621
31611

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:14 AM to 3:45 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:145:56
213.74:125:57
313.84:115:58
413.84:105:59
513.94:086:00
613.94:076:01
713.94:066:02
814.04:056:03
914.04:046:04
1014.04:036:05
1114.14:016:06
1214.14:006:07
1314.23:596:08
1414.23:586:09
1514.23:576:10
1614.33:566:11
1714.33:556:12
1814.33:546:13
1914.33:546:14
2014.43:536:15
2114.43:526:16
2214.43:516:17
2314.53:506:18
2414.53:506:19
2514.53:496:20
2614.53:486:21
2714.63:486:22
2814.63:476:22
2914.63:466:23
3014.63:466:24
3114.73:456:25

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kars

In seasonPeak

In May, Kars sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kars's rainy season runs March–July, 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 Kars?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kars.

What to pack for Kars in May

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

In May, Kars sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 4°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Kars in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kars peaks around June 21 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 21UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kars 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 Kars is worst in May — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodMay 1220 µg/m³Jan 1111 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct13Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kars?

Kars sits at 40.6°N, 43.1°E, 1,767 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Kağızman, 49 km away.

OltuArmavirAğrı

Topography around Kars

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kars has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 235 m around an average of 1,795 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 947 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,315 m.

The land around Kars is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (39%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
235 m
16 km
947 m
80 km
2,315 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kağızman 49 km · Sarıkamış 52 km · Ardahan 65 km · Gyumri 68 km · Artik 75 km · Oltu 93 km · Armavir 95 km · Ağrı 98 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 Kars (40.5983°, 43.0855°, elevation 1,767 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. 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).