Houghton-Le-Spring weather in May

In May, Houghton-Le-Spring sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 49 mm of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 15.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 16°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 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Houghton-Le-Spring's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Houghton-Le-Spring's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:07 AM – 7:57 PM
Cloud cover
70%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Houghton-Le-Spring is town in the City of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear, 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 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Houghton-Le-Spring 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)
1136
2136
3136
4136
5136
6136
7136
8137
9147
10147
11147
12147
13147
14147
15147
16147
17147
18158
19158
20158
21158
22158
23158
24158
25158
26159
27169
28169
29169
30169
31169

How May really feels in Houghton-Le-Spring

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.

Houghton-Le-Spring weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5512.31.97.60.7
Feb / 4811.12.19.30.9
Mar / 4510.41.211.41.8
Apr12° / 53110.413.82.8
May14° / 4911.6015.84.0
Jun17° / 10°6311.4016.95.1
Jul19° / 12°6312.1016.55.7
Aug19° / 12°6812.4014.75.6
Sep17° / 10°559.5012.55.1
Oct13° / 5811.20.110.23.4
Nov / 6312.20.68.11.8
Dec / 6212.81.370.8

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53169
63268
73268
83268
93268
103169
113268
123169
133070
143070
153070
163070
172971
182971
192971
202971
212971
222971
232971
242971
253070
262971
272971
282971
292971
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Houghton-Le-Spring gets around 49 mm of rain over 11.6 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 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
538
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2538
2637
2737
2837
2938
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 98% 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
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23973
24973
25973
26973
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

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 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
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 36 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 4:37 AM to 3:46 AM, and sunset from 7:29 PM to 8:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:377:29
214.94:357:31
315.04:337:33
415.14:307:35
515.14:287:37
615.24:267:39
715.34:247:41
815.34:227:43
915.44:207:44
1015.54:187:46
1115.54:167:48
1215.64:147:50
1315.74:127:52
1415.74:117:54
1515.84:097:55
1615.84:077:57
1715.94:057:59
1816.04:048:01
1916.04:028:02
2016.14:008:04
2116.13:598:06
2216.23:578:07
2316.23:568:09
2416.33:548:11
2516.33:538:12
2616.43:528:14
2716.43:508:15
2816.53:498:17
2916.53:488:18
3016.53:478:20
3116.63:468:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.96 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.46 kWh/m² to a high of 4.96 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.96 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
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 Houghton-Le-Spring?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Houghton-Le-Spring for sightseeing.

What to pack for Houghton-Le-Spring in May

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

In May, Houghton-Le-Spring sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Houghton-Le-Spring 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in March 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
Feb7Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Houghton-Le-Spring 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 Houghton-Le-Spring peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Houghton-Le-Spring?

Houghton-Le-Spring sits at 54.8°N, 1.5°W, 79 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Chester-le-Street, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Houghton-Le-Spring

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Houghton-Le-Spring.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Houghton-Le-Spring has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m around an average of 91 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 268 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 900 m.

The land around Houghton-Le-Spring is covered by grassland (32%), cropland (26%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
140 m
16 km
268 m
80 km
900 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Chester-le-Street 7.0 km · Washington 7.0 km · Seaham 8.0 km · Sunderland 9.0 km · Durham 10 km · Peterlee 12 km · Felling 14 km · Hebburn 15 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 Houghton-Le-Spring (54.8403°, -1.4643°, elevation 79 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).