Ayr weather in May

In May, Ayr sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 83 mm of precipitation across 13.8 wet days and about 15.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ayr's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ayr's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
83 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 54 min
4:17 AM – 8:13 PM
Cloud cover
64%
1st clearest
Wind
19 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Ayr is town and former Royal Burgh situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland.

Density
2,584/km²
people per km²
Founded
1205

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 11°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Ayr reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1107
2117
3117
4117
5117
6117
7117
8118
9118
10118
11118
12118
13118
14118
15118
16128
17128
18128
19129
20129
21129
22129
23129
24129
25129
26129
27139
28139
291310
301310
311310

How May really feels in Ayr

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.

Ayr weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 17920.11.77.50.6
Feb / 13816.71.89.20.6
Mar / 12116.11.211.40.9
Apr / 86140.313.81.7
May12° / 8313.80.115.92.7
Jun14° / 11°9214.2017.13.4
Jul15° / 13°11017.2016.63.9
Aug16° / 13°12917.7014.83.9
Sep14° / 12°12716.6012.53.4
Oct12° / 17619.1010.12.4
Nov / 18419.90.381.5
Dec / 19619.51.26.90.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44258
54159
64159
74258
84258
94258
104258
114159
124060
134060
144159
154060
164060
174060
183961
193961
203961
213961
223862
233862
243961
253961
263961
273961
283961
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ayr gets around 83 mm of rain and snow over 13.8 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 45% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
346
445
545
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1244
1344
1444
1544
1644
1744
1844
1945
2045
2145
2246
2346
2446
2546
2646
2745
2845
2945
3045
3144

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 19 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:47 AM to 3:55 AM, and sunset from 7:44 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:477:44
215.04:457:46
315.14:437:48
415.24:417:50
515.24:397:52
615.34:367:54
715.44:347:56
815.44:327:58
915.54:308:00
1015.64:288:02
1115.64:268:03
1215.74:248:05
1315.74:228:07
1415.84:208:09
1515.94:198:11
1615.94:178:13
1716.04:158:15
1816.14:138:16
1916.14:128:18
2016.24:108:20
2116.24:088:22
2216.34:078:23
2316.34:058:25
2416.44:048:27
2516.44:028:28
2616.54:018:30
2716.53:598:31
2816.63:588:33
2916.63:578:34
3016.73:568:36
3116.73:558:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.8 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ayr?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ayr.

What to pack for Ayr in May

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

In May, Ayr sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ayr in May

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Ayr 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 Ayr peaks around June 23 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ayr?

Ayr sits at 55.5°N, 4.6°W, 13 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Irvine, 17 km away.

Topography around Ayr

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ayr has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 413 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 946 m.

The land around Ayr is covered by water (43%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and water (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
413 m
80 km
946 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Irvine 17 km · Kilmarnock 19 km · Kilwinning 22 km · Newton Mearns 39 km · Barrhead 40 km · Johnstone 41 km · Paisley 43 km · East Kilbride 44 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 2%

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 Ayr (55.4627°, -4.6339°, elevation 13 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).