Bowthorpe weather in May

In May, Bowthorpe sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 51 mm of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 15.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 Bowthorpe's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bowthorpe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
51 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 30 min
4:06 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
66%
1st clearest
Wind
17 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Bowthorpe is village in Norfolk, England.

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 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Bowthorpe reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1137
2137
3137
4138
5138
6138
7138
8148
9148
10148
11148
12148
13148
14148
15149
16149
17159
18159
19159
20159
21159
22159
23159
241510
251510
261610
271610
281610
291610
301610
311610

How May really feels in Bowthorpe

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.

Bowthorpe 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5011.80.880.8
Feb / 4110.11.29.50.9
Mar / 45110.611.51.7
Apr11° / 4310.5013.62.8
May14° / 5110.8015.54.1
Jun17° / 12°6311.4016.55.2
Jul20° / 14°6612.2016.15.9
Aug20° / 14°6711.6014.55.9
Sep17° / 12°5810.4012.45.4
Oct14° / 6411.9010.33.8
Nov10° / 58120.28.52.1
Dec / 5311.50.67.51.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63862
73763
83862
93763
103763
113763
123862
133763
143862
153763
163664
173664
183664
193664
203565
213565
223565
233466
243565
253565
263565
273466
283466
293466
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bowthorpe gets around 51 mm of rain over 10.8 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 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
636
736
836
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1735
1835
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3036
3136

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 97% 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
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19973
20973
21973
22964
23964
24964
25955
26955
27946
28946
29937
30928
31928

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 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
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 4:33 AM to 3:47 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.64:337:12
214.74:317:13
314.84:297:15
414.84:277:17
514.94:257:18
614.94:237:20
715.04:217:22
815.14:207:24
915.14:187:25
1015.24:167:27
1115.24:147:29
1215.34:137:30
1315.44:117:32
1415.44:097:34
1515.54:087:35
1615.54:067:37
1715.64:047:38
1815.64:037:40
1915.74:017:41
2015.74:007:43
2115.83:597:45
2215.83:577:46
2315.93:567:47
2415.93:557:49
2515.93:537:50
2616.03:527:52
2716.03:517:53
2816.13:507:54
2916.13:497:56
3016.23:487:57
3116.23:477:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.6 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bowthorpe?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bowthorpe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bowthorpe in May

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

In May, Bowthorpe sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Bowthorpe 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 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Bowthorpe 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 Bowthorpe peaks around August 10 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bowthorpe?

Bowthorpe sits at 52.6°N, 1.2°E, 26 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Norwich, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Bowthorpe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bowthorpe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 54 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 150 m.

The land around Bowthorpe is covered by trees (37%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, cropland (46%), trees (24%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and cropland (39%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
54 m
16 km
82 m
80 km
150 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Norwich 6.0 km · East Dereham 20 km · Great Yarmouth 35 km · Thetford 40 km · Lowestoft 40 km · Stowmarket 52 km · Bury St Edmunds 56 km · King's Lynn 57 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 Bowthorpe (52.6388°, 1.2188°, elevation 26 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).