Poltava weather in May

In May, Poltava sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 52 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 15.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Poltava's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Poltava's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
10°
9th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
4:04 AM – 7:12 PM
Cloud cover
58%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Poltava is capital city of Poltava Oblast in central Ukraine.

Density
2,714/km²
people per km²
Founded
1174

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 19°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Poltava reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1198
2198
3198
4198
5209
6209
7209
8209
9209
10209
112010
122110
132110
142110
152110
162111
172111
182211
192211
202211
212211
222212
232212
242212
252212
262312
272312
282312
292313
302313
312313

How May really feels in Poltava

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.

Poltava weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -6°398.678.40.0
Feb-0° / -6°317.25.59.80.0
Mar / -2°439.74.911.50.5
Apr14° / 439.20.513.44.3
May21° / 10°5210.5015.16.5
Jun25° / 15°6010.10166.8
Jul27° / 16°569.8015.66.7
Aug27° / 15°426.6014.27.3
Sep20° / 10°477.1012.46.8
Oct13° / 427.20.410.53.7
Nov / -0°387.92.48.90.3
Dec-0° / -4°407.95.480.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34951
44951
54951
64951
75050
84951
94852
104852
114951
124951
134852
144852
154951
165050
174951
184951
194951
204852
214852
224852
234852
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294951
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Poltava gets around 52 mm of rain over 10.5 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
429
529
629
730
830
931
1031
1132
1232
1333
1433
1533
1634
1734
1834
1935
2035
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2636
2736
2835
2934
3033
3133

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 87% 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
79730
89730
99640
109550
119460
129271
139181
149091
1589101
1688111
1787121
1885132
1984142
2083152
2182162
2280173
2380173
2479183
2578184
2677194
2777194
2876204
2976204
3075214
3175214

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:28 AM to 3:48 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 7:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.44:286:50
214.44:266:51
314.54:256:53
414.54:236:54
514.64:216:56
614.64:206:57
714.74:186:59
814.74:167:00
914.84:157:02
1014.84:137:03
1114.94:117:05
1214.94:107:06
1315.04:087:08
1415.04:077:09
1515.14:067:10
1615.14:047:12
1715.24:037:13
1815.24:027:15
1915.34:007:16
2015.33:597:17
2115.33:587:19
2215.43:577:20
2315.43:557:21
2415.53:547:22
2515.53:537:24
2615.53:527:25
2715.63:517:26
2815.63:507:27
2915.73:497:28
3015.73:497:30
3115.73:487:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.56 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Poltava?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Poltava for sightseeing.

What to pack for Poltava in May

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

In May, Poltava sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Poltava 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 Poltava peaks around July 11 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowJul 11UV 7Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Poltava?

Poltava sits at 49.6°N, 34.6°E, 156 m above sea level, in Ukraine. The nearest listed city is Kyivskyi, 3.0 km away.

MyrhorodOkhtyrkaHorishni PlavniBohodukhiv

Topography around Poltava

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Poltava has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m around an average of 136 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m.

The land around Poltava is covered by trees (52%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, cropland (39%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and cropland (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
94 m
16 km
108 m
80 km
174 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Kyivskyi 3.0 km · Shevchenko 3.0 km · Podil 3.0 km · Berestyn 69 km · Myrhorod 80 km · Okhtyrka 84 km · Horishni Plavni 93 km · Bohodukhiv 94 km

Ukraine travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 31% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,866
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
88%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
10.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 526

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 Poltava (49.5892°, 34.5537°, elevation 156 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).