Falmouth weather in May

In May, Falmouth sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 58 mm of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 15.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 16% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Falmouth's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Falmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
15 h 12 min
4:41 AM – 7:52 PM
Cloud cover
69%
2nd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Falmouth is town and port on the River Fal in Cornwall, England, UK.

Density
4,106/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 Falmouth reaches about 15°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 12°C and 19°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)
1148
2148
3148
4148
5148
6148
7148
8158
9158
10158
11159
12159
13159
14159
15159
16159
17159
18169
19169
20169
21169
221610
231610
241610
251610
261610
271610
281710
291710
301710
311710

Falmouth 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7313.28.31.7
Feb / 6011.19.71.7
Mar11° / 5711.511.52.4
Apr13° / 6112.213.53.2
May15° / 5811.315.24.4
Jun18° / 12°5810.816.15.5
Jul20° / 14°5610.315.76.0
Aug20° / 14°6010.614.35.9
Sep18° / 12°519.312.45.7
Oct15° / 10°7712.710.54.1
Nov12° / 7613.68.82.7
Dec10° / 7813.47.92.0

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 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33367
43466
53466
63466
73466
83367
93367
103367
113268
123268
133367
143268
153169
163169
173169
183268
193169
203070
213169
223070
233070
243070
253169
263169
273169
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Falmouth gets around 58 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 38% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
241
340
440
539
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1339
1439
1539
1639
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2237
2337
2437
2537
2637
2737
2837
2937
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
8973
9973
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17964
18964
19964
20964
21964
22955
23955
24955
25946
26946
27937
28937
29928
30928
31919

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 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
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light 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
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:05 AM to 4:24 AM, and sunset from 7:30 PM to 8:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:057:30
214.55:037:31
314.55:027:33
414.65:007:34
514.64:587:36
614.74:567:37
714.74:557:39
814.84:537:41
914.84:517:42
1014.94:507:44
1114.94:487:45
1215.04:477:47
1315.04:457:48
1415.14:447:49
1515.14:427:51
1615.24:417:52
1715.24:397:54
1815.34:387:55
1915.34:377:57
2015.44:357:58
2115.44:347:59
2215.54:338:01
2315.54:328:02
2415.54:318:03
2515.64:298:05
2615.64:288:06
2715.74:278:07
2815.74:268:08
2915.74:258:09
3015.84:258:11
3115.84:248:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.19 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
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 Falmouth?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Falmouth for sightseeing.

What to pack for Falmouth in May

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

In May, Falmouth sees daytime highs around 15°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 Falmouth 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 10°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Falmouth 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 Falmouth peaks around August 14 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 11 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 14UV 7Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Falmouth?

Falmouth sits at 50.2°N, 5.1°W, 34 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Truro, 12 km away.

Topography around Falmouth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Falmouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 250 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 408 m.

The land around Falmouth is covered by water (40%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (36%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and water (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
117 m
16 km
250 m
80 km
408 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Truro 12 km · Redruth 14 km · Camborne 17 km · Newquay 29 km · St Austell 30 km · Penzance 33 km · Bodmin 43 km · Saltash 66 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 Falmouth (50.1544°, -5.0711°, elevation 34 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).