Horwich weather in May

In May, Horwich sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 67 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 15.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Horwich's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Horwich's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
67 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
15 h 36 min
4:17 AM – 7:56 PM
Cloud cover
69%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Horwich is town in Greater Manchester.

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 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Horwich reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°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)
1146
2146
3147
4147
5147
6147
7147
8147
9157
10157
11157
12157
13157
14158
15158
16158
17158
18158
19158
20158
21168
22168
23169
24169
25169
26169
27169
28169
29169
30179
31179

How May really feels in Horwich

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.

Horwich weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8315.11.37.80.8
Feb / 7113.21.59.41.0
Mar10° / 7013111.51.8
Apr12° / 6512.70.413.73.0
May15° / 6712.7015.64.2
Jun18° / 11°8113.8016.75.0
Jul19° / 12°8214.8016.35.4
Aug19° / 12°8915.1014.65.2
Sep17° / 10°7712.7012.54.8
Oct13° / 9114.7010.33.3
Nov10° / 9116.10.28.31.8
Dec / 9915.51.17.30.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33367
43367
53466
63466
73367
83466
93466
103466
113466
123466
133466
143268
153169
163169
173169
183169
193070
203070
213070
222971
233070
243070
253070
263070
273169
283169
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Horwich gets around 67 mm of rain over 12.7 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
542
642
742
842
942
1042
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1842
1941
2041
2141
2241
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3143

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16973
17973
18973
19973
20964
21964
22955
23955
24955
25946
26946
27946
28946
29937
30937
31937

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
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of May to 16 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:45 AM to 3:57 AM, and sunset from 7:30 PM to 8:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.74:457:30
214.84:437:31
314.94:417:33
414.94:397:35
515.04:377:37
615.14:357:39
715.14:337:40
815.24:317:42
915.24:297:44
1015.34:277:46
1115.44:267:47
1215.44:247:49
1315.54:227:51
1415.54:207:53
1515.64:197:54
1615.64:177:56
1715.74:157:58
1815.84:147:59
1915.84:128:01
2015.94:118:02
2115.94:098:04
2216.04:088:06
2316.04:068:07
2416.14:058:09
2516.14:048:10
2616.24:028:12
2716.24:018:13
2816.24:008:14
2916.33:598:16
3016.33:588:17
3116.43:578:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.51 kWh/m² to a high of 5.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 4.97 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
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
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 Horwich?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Horwich for sightseeing.

What to pack for Horwich in May

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

In May, Horwich sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Horwich 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 38 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Horwich 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 Horwich peaks around August 12 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Horwich?

Horwich sits at 53.6°N, 2.5°W, 135 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Westhoughton, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Horwich

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Horwich has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 337 m around an average of 178 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 733 m.

The land around Horwich is covered by grassland (48%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, grassland (44%), trees (29%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) within 80 km.

3 km
337 m
16 km
452 m
80 km
733 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Westhoughton 6.0 km · Chorley 7.0 km · Hindley 8.0 km · Bolton 8.0 km · Wigan 9.0 km · Atherton 9.0 km · Tyldesley 11 km · Farnworth 11 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 Horwich (53.6013°, -2.5497°, elevation 135 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).