Buxton weather in May

In May, Buxton sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 74 mm of rain across 13.6 wet days and about 15.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-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 12% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Buxton's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Buxton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:16 AM – 7:52 PM
Cloud cover
72%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Buxton is town in Derbyshire, England.

Density
3,755/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 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Buxton reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 8°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 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1135
2136
3136
4136
5136
6136
7146
8146
9146
10146
11146
12146
13146
14147
15147
16147
17147
18157
19157
20157
21157
22158
23158
24158
25158
26158
27168
28168
29168
30168
31168

How May really feels in Buxton

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.

Buxton weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8014.52.57.90.3
Feb / 7112.53.39.40.5
Mar / 7113.32.411.51.4
Apr11° / 7213.50.713.62.6
May14° / 7413.6015.63.8
Jun17° / 10°9014.8016.64.6
Jul19° / 12°9115.5016.25.2
Aug18° / 11°9115.1014.65.1
Sep16° / 7512.4012.44.5
Oct12° / 8513.8010.32.9
Nov / 80140.68.41.4
Dec / 8814.52.47.40.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
33070
43070
52971
63070
73070
83070
93070
102872
112872
122872
132872
142872
152872
162773
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222773
232773
242773
252773
262773
272773
282773
292872
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Buxton gets around 74 mm of rain over 13.6 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 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
348
447
547
646
746
846
946
1046
1146
1246
1346
1446
1545
1645
1744
1844
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2844
2944
3045
3145

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 99% 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
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19982
20982
21982
22982
23973
24973
25973
26973
27973
28964
29964
30964
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 18 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 4:44 AM to 3:56 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 8:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.74:447:26
214.84:427:28
314.84:407:30
414.94:387:31
515.04:367:33
615.04:347:35
715.14:327:37
815.14:307:38
915.24:287:40
1015.34:267:42
1115.34:247:44
1215.44:237:45
1315.44:217:47
1415.54:197:49
1515.54:187:50
1615.64:167:52
1715.74:147:54
1815.74:137:55
1915.84:117:57
2015.84:107:58
2115.94:088:00
2215.94:078:01
2316.04:058:03
2416.04:048:04
2516.04:038:06
2616.14:028:07
2716.14:008:09
2816.23:598:10
2916.23:588:11
3016.33:578:13
3116.33:568:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.53 kWh/m² to a high of 4.86 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 4.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Buxton?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Buxton.

What to pack for Buxton in May

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

In May, Buxton sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Buxton in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Buxton peaks around August 12 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 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Buxton?

Buxton sits at 53.3°N, 1.9°W, 316 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is High Peak, 13 km away.

Topography around Buxton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Buxton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 242 m around an average of 358 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 536 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 695 m.

The land around Buxton is covered by grassland (66%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (79%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
242 m
16 km
536 m
80 km
695 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: High Peak 13 km · New Mills 13 km · Macclesfield 14 km · Leek 19 km · Hazel Grove 20 km · Bramhall 20 km · Glossop 21 km · Bredbury 22 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 Buxton (53.2574°, -1.9098°, elevation 316 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).