High Peak weather in May

In May, High Peak sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 74 mm of rain across 13.4 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 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 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 High Peak's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see High Peak's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:15 AM – 7:52 PM
Cloud cover
72%
1st clearest
Wind
16 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

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 High Peak 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 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)
1125
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 High Peak

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.

High Peak 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 / 8014.22.97.80.2
Feb / 7112.64.19.40.3
Mar / 7113.22.611.51.3
Apr11° / 7313.70.813.72.4
May14° / 7413.4015.63.6
Jun17° / 9114.7016.64.5
Jul19° / 11°9015.1016.25.2
Aug18° / 11°9114.7014.65.1
Sep16° / 7511.9012.54.3
Oct12° / 8613.70.110.32.8
Nov / 8113.80.88.41.3
Dec / 8814.437.30.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52773
62773
72773
82872
92872
102872
112872
122872
132773
142773
152773
162773
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222773
232773
242773
252674
262773
272872
282872
292872
302872
312773

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

High Peak gets around 74 mm of rain over 13.4 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
247
347
447
546
646
745
845
945
1045
1145
1245
1345
1445
1545
1644
1744
1843
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2844
2944
3045
3146

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
121000
131000
141000
151000
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light 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
3115light 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 4:43 AM to 3:55 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)
114.74:437:26
214.84:417:28
314.84:397:30
414.94:377:31
515.04:357:33
615.04:337:35
715.14:317:37
815.24:297:38
915.24:277:40
1015.34:267:42
1115.34:247:44
1215.44:227:45
1315.44:207:47
1415.54:187:49
1515.64:177:50
1615.64:157:52
1715.74:147:54
1815.74:127:55
1915.84:107:57
2015.84:097:59
2115.94:078:00
2215.94:068:02
2316.04:058:03
2416.04:038:05
2516.14:028:06
2616.14:018:08
2716.24:008:09
2816.23:588:10
2916.23:578:12
3016.33:568:13
3116.33:558:14

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 0.54 kWh/m² to a high of 4.84 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 High Peak?

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

3.6
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 High Peak.

What to pack for High Peak in May

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

In May, High Peak 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

UV index in High Peak 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 High Peak 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 High Peak?

High Peak sits at 53.4°N, 1.8°W, 335 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is New Mills, 10 km away.

Topography around High Peak

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around High Peak has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 416 m around an average of 449 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 649 m.

The land around High Peak is covered by grassland (95%) within 3 km, grassland (78%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
416 m
16 km
564 m
80 km
649 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: New Mills 10 km · Glossop 11 km · Buxton 13 km · Hyde 18 km · Hazel Grove 18 km · Bredbury 19 km · Stalybridge 19 km · Fulwood 20 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 High Peak (53.368°, -1.8454°, elevation 335 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).