Dundee weather in May

In May, Dundee sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 64 mm of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 16.1 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 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 06 min at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dundee's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
16 h 06 min
4:05 AM – 8:11 PM
Cloud cover
71%
4th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Dundee is city in Scotland, UK.

Founded
1050

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 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Dundee reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°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 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1135
2135
3135
4135
5135
6136
7136
8136
9136
10136
11136
12136
13146
14146
15146
16146
17147
18147
19147
20147
21147
22157
23157
24157
25158
26158
27158
28158
29158
30158
31158

How May really feels in Dundee

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.

Dundee 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 / 7813.73.57.30.5
Feb / 5910.72.89.10.8
Mar / 6112.3211.41.6
Apr11° / 5711.60.713.92.6
May14° / 6413.1016.13.7
Jun16° / 10°6813.1017.34.6
Jul18° / 11°7614016.85.2
Aug18° / 11°7613.4014.95.3
Sep16° / 6110.8012.54.6
Oct12° / 8912.9010.13.1
Nov / 7813.10.67.91.6
Dec / 7412.42.16.70.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
23070
33070
43070
53070
63070
73070
83070
93070
103070
113070
123070
133070
142971
152971
162971
173070
182971
192971
202872
212872
222872
232872
242872
252872
262872
272872
282872
292872
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dundee gets around 64 mm of rain over 13.1 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 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
245
345
445
545
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1244
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

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
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 06 min at the start of May to 16 h 54 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 4:37 AM to 3:42 AM, and sunset from 7:41 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.14:377:41
215.14:357:43
315.24:337:45
415.34:307:47
515.44:287:49
615.44:267:51
715.54:247:53
815.64:217:55
915.64:197:57
1015.74:177:59
1115.84:158:01
1215.84:138:03
1315.94:118:05
1416.04:098:07
1516.04:078:09
1616.14:058:11
1716.24:038:13
1816.24:018:15
1916.34:008:17
2016.33:588:19
2116.43:568:20
2216.53:548:22
2316.53:538:24
2416.63:518:26
2516.63:508:27
2616.73:488:29
2716.73:478:31
2816.83:458:32
2916.83:448:34
3016.93:438:35
3116.93:428:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.02 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.02 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Dundee?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dundee.

What to pack for Dundee in May

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

In May, Dundee sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Dundee in May

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Dundee 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 Dundee peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 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 21UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dundee?

Dundee sits at 56.5°N, 3.0°W, 77 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Saint Andrews, 18 km away.

Topography around Dundee

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 450 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,320 m.

The land around Dundee is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and water (25%) within 3 km, cropland (36%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
450 m
80 km
1,320 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Saint Andrews 18 km · Arbroath 26 km · Perth 29 km · Glenrothes 33 km · Kirkcaldy 41 km · Dunfermline 53 km · Musselburgh 59 km · Edinburgh 59 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 Dundee (56.4691°, -2.9749°, elevation 77 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).