Chelmsford weather in May

In May, Chelmsford sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 51 mm of rain across 9.8 wet days and about 15.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chelmsford's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chelmsford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
51 mm
9.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 24 min
4:13 AM – 7:36 PM
Cloud cover
68%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Chelmsford is city in Essex, United Kingdom.

Density
4,339/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 15°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chelmsford reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°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)
1147
2157
3157
4158
5158
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11158
12168
13168
14169
15169
16169
17169
18169
19169
20169
21179
22179
231710
241710
251710
261710
271710
281710
291710
301710
311810

How May really feels in Chelmsford

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.

Chelmsford weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5010.70.88.10.9
Feb / 41919.61.1
Mar10° / 39100.711.52.2
Apr13° / 4610.80.113.63.5
May16° / 519.8015.44.9
Jun19° / 12°539.9016.35.9
Jul21° / 14°5310.90166.3
Aug21° / 14°599.9014.46.4
Sep18° / 11°468.9012.45.9
Oct15° / 5510.5010.44.2
Nov10° / 5610.40.18.62.3
Dec / 5410.50.87.61.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33565
43565
53664
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133565
143466
153466
163367
173268
183367
193367
203268
213268
223367
233268
243268
253367
263268
273268
283268
293367
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chelmsford gets around 51 mm of rain over 9.8 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
234
333
433
532
631
731
830
930
1030
1130
1231
1331
1432
1532
1632
1732
1833
1933
2033
2133
2234
2334
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3134

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 95% 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
59910
69820
79820
89820
99820
109730
119730
129730
139730
149730
159730
169640
179640
189640
199550
209550
219460
229460
239370
249280
259280
269190
2790100
2889110
2988120
3088120
3186131

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
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 36 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:39 AM to 3:54 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.64:397:12
214.64:377:14
314.74:357:15
414.74:337:17
514.84:317:19
614.84:297:20
714.94:277:22
815.04:267:23
915.04:247:25
1015.14:227:27
1115.14:217:28
1215.24:197:30
1315.24:177:32
1415.34:167:33
1515.34:147:35
1615.44:137:36
1715.44:117:38
1815.54:107:39
1915.54:087:41
2015.64:077:42
2115.64:057:44
2215.74:047:45
2315.74:037:46
2415.84:027:48
2515.84:007:49
2615.93:597:50
2715.93:587:52
2815.93:577:53
2916.03:567:54
3016.03:557:56
3116.03:547:57

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.48 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Chelmsford?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Chelmsford for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chelmsford in May

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

In May, Chelmsford sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chelmsford in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 47 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford 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
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chelmsford?

Chelmsford sits at 51.7°N, 0.5°E, 33 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Billericay, 12 km away.

Topography around Chelmsford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chelmsford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 290 m.

The land around Chelmsford is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, cropland (50%), grassland (22%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
53 m
16 km
117 m
80 km
290 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Billericay 12 km · Witham 14 km · Maldon 14 km · Wickford 14 km · Braintree 17 km · Brentwood 17 km · Basildon 19 km · Rayleigh 19 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 Chelmsford (51.7358°, 0.4696°, elevation 33 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).