Horsham weather in May

In May, Horsham sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 52 mm of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 18% 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 15 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Horsham's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Horsham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
9.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:18 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
67%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Horsham is town and civil parish in West Sussex, England.

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 Horsham 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
2147
3157
4157
5158
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11158
12168
13168
14168
15169
16169
17169
18169
19169
20169
21169
22179
23179
241710
251710
261710
271710
281710
291710
301710
311710

How May really feels in Horsham

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.

Horsham 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 / 6511.40.68.21.1
Feb / 509.50.79.61.2
Mar10° / 45100.311.52.3
Apr13° / 4910.20.113.53.5
May16° / 529.6015.34.9
Jun19° / 11°529.3016.25.9
Jul21° / 13°5210015.96.4
Aug21° / 14°629.5014.46.4
Sep18° / 11°509.2012.45.8
Oct15° / 7011.5010.44.1
Nov11° / 7411.90.18.72.4
Dec / 7111.80.57.81.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43268
53268
63367
73367
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133268
143268
153268
163367
173367
183367
193367
203367
213268
223268
233268
243268
253268
263466
273466
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Horsham gets around 52 mm of rain over 9.6 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
235
334
434
533
633
732
832
932
1032
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

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 94% 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
49820
59820
69820
79730
89730
99730
109730
119640
129640
139640
149640
159640
169550
179550
189550
199460
209460
219460
229370
239370
249181
259181
269091
2789101
2889101
2988111
3087121
3186131

Wind in May

Winds average 15 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
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
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 15 h 54 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 4:44 AM to 4:01 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:447:13
214.54:427:15
314.64:407:16
414.74:387:18
514.74:367:20
614.84:357:21
714.84:337:23
814.94:317:24
914.94:297:26
1015.04:287:28
1115.14:267:29
1215.14:247:31
1315.24:237:32
1415.24:217:34
1515.34:207:35
1615.34:187:37
1715.44:177:38
1815.44:157:40
1915.54:147:41
2015.54:137:43
2115.54:117:44
2215.64:107:45
2315.64:097:47
2415.74:087:48
2515.74:077:49
2615.84:067:51
2715.84:047:52
2815.84:037:53
2915.94:027:54
3015.94:027:56
3115.94:017:57

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.66 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.32 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Horsham?

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

May is a reasonable time to visit Horsham for sightseeing.

What to pack for Horsham in May

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

In May, Horsham 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 Horsham in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 49 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Horsham 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 Horsham peaks around July 24 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 24UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Horsham?

Horsham sits at 51.1°N, 0.3°W, 52 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Crawley, 12 km away.

Topography around Horsham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Horsham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 58 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 301 m.

The land around Horsham is covered by trees (43%) and grassland (33%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and trees (40%) within 16 km, and trees (26%), grassland (26%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
298 m
80 km
301 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Crawley 12 km · Horley 17 km · Haywards Heath 17 km · Burgess Hill 18 km · Dorking 19 km · Reigate 21 km · Redhill 23 km · East Grinstead 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 Horsham (51.0631°, -0.3276°, elevation 52 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).