Chippenham weather in May

In May, Chippenham sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 62 mm of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chippenham's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chippenham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
15 h 24 min
4:24 AM – 7:45 PM
Cloud cover
71%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Chippenham is town in Wiltshire, England.

Density
226/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 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chippenham reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°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
2147
3147
4157
5157
6157
7157
8157
9157
10157
11157
12158
13158
14168
15168
16168
17168
18168
19168
20168
21169
22169
23179
24179
25179
26179
27179
28179
29179
301710
311710

How May really feels in Chippenham

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.

Chippenham weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 65120.98.10.9
Feb / 499.819.61.1
Mar10° / 5110.80.711.52.1
Apr13° / 5711.50.213.53.3
May16° / 6211.3015.34.6
Jun19° / 11°5810.7016.35.7
Jul21° / 13°5911.1015.96.1
Aug20° / 13°6610.9014.46.0
Sep18° / 10°559.5012.45.6
Oct14° / 7111.5010.43.8
Nov10° / 7012.10.18.62.1
Dec / 69120.87.71.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
72872
82872
92971
102971
112872
122872
132872
142674
152674
162674
172674
182674
192674
202674
212575
222674
232773
242773
252773
262773
272872
282872
292971
302971
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chippenham gets around 62 mm of rain over 11.3 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 37% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
240
340
439
538
637
737
836
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2237
2337
2437
2537
2637
2737
2837
2938
3038
3138

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5982
6982
7982
8982
9973
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17964
18964
19964
20964
21955
22955
23946
24946
25937
26937
27928
28928
29919
30919
319010

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
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 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 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:50 AM to 4:06 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 8:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:507:21
214.64:487:23
314.64:467:25
414.74:447:26
514.84:427:28
614.84:417:30
714.94:397:31
814.94:377:33
915.04:357:35
1015.04:347:36
1115.14:327:38
1215.24:307:39
1315.24:297:41
1415.34:277:42
1515.34:267:44
1615.44:247:45
1715.44:237:47
1815.54:217:48
1915.54:207:50
2015.64:187:51
2115.64:177:53
2215.64:167:54
2315.74:147:56
2415.74:137:57
2515.84:127:58
2615.84:118:00
2715.94:108:01
2815.94:098:02
2915.94:088:03
3016.04:078:05
3116.04:068:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 4.95 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Chippenham?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Chippenham for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chippenham in May

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

In May, Chippenham sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chippenham 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 53 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Chippenham 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 Chippenham 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
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chippenham?

Chippenham sits at 51.5°N, 2.1°W, 61 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Neston, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Chippenham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chippenham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 586 m.

The land around Chippenham is covered by grassland (40%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
243 m
80 km
586 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Neston 7.0 km · Calne 9.0 km · Melksham 10 km · Devizes 15 km · Trowbridge 17 km · Bath 19 km · Yate 22 km · Westbury 23 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 Chippenham (51.46°, -2.1247°, elevation 61 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).