Inverness weather in May

In May, Inverness sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 70 mm of precipitation across 14.6 wet days and about 16.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 12 min at the start of May to 17 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Inverness's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Inverness's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
70 mm
14.6 wet days
Daylight
16 h 18 min
4:05 AM – 8:22 PM
Cloud cover
75%
1st clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Inverness is city in the Highlands of Scotland, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,309/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 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Inverness reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1125
2125
3125
4125
5135
6135
7135
8135
9135
10135
11135
12135
13136
14136
15136
16136
17136
18146
19146
20146
21146
22147
23147
24147
25147
26147
27147
28157
29157
30157
31158

How May really feels in Inverness

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.

Inverness 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 / 9115.74.570.2
Feb / 7414590.4
Mar / 7214.53.411.41.2
Apr11° / 6514.31.813.92.2
May13° / 7014.60.216.23.3
Jun16° / 7314.9017.64.0
Jul18° / 11°7214.50174.8
Aug17° / 11°8115.20154.7
Sep15° / 7013012.54.0
Oct11° / 8815.10.1102.5
Nov / 7714.51.37.71.2
Dec / 8414.63.66.40.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32377
42377
52377
62476
72476
82476
92476
102377
112377
122377
132377
142278
152278
162278
172179
182179
192179
202179
212080
222080
231981
241981
251981
261981
271981
281981
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Inverness gets around 70 mm of rain and snow over 14.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 47% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1512
2502
3502
4492
5491
6481
7481
8481
9481
10481
11481
12481
13481
14471
15471
16471
17471
18461
19461
20461
21460
22470
23470
24470
25460
26460
27460
28460
29460
30460
31460

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 100% 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
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 12 min at the start of May to 17 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 120 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:38 AM to 3:40 AM, and sunset from 7:50 PM to 8:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.24:387:50
215.34:367:52
315.34:337:54
415.44:317:56
515.54:297:59
615.64:268:01
715.64:248:03
815.74:228:05
915.84:208:07
1015.94:178:09
1115.94:158:11
1216.04:138:13
1316.14:118:15
1416.14:098:18
1516.24:078:20
1616.34:058:22
1716.34:038:24
1816.44:018:26
1916.53:598:28
2016.53:578:29
2116.63:558:31
2216.73:538:33
2316.73:528:35
2416.83:508:37
2516.83:488:39
2616.93:478:41
2716.93:458:42
2817.03:448:44
2917.13:428:46
3017.13:418:47
3117.23:408:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.59 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 4.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Inverness?

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

3.3
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 Inverness.

What to pack for Inverness in May

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

In May, Inverness sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 6°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Inverness in May

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 26 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Inverness 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 Inverness peaks around July 11 at about 5 (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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Inverness?

Inverness sits at 57.5°N, 4.2°W, 15 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Elgin, 57 km away.

Fort WilliamPerthAberdeenNiggDundeeArbroathPeterhead

Topography around Inverness

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Inverness has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,309 m.

The land around Inverness is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), water (26%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
614 m
80 km
1,309 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Elgin 57 km · Fort William 91 km · Perth 130 km · Aberdeen 133 km · Nigg 134 km · Dundee 135 km · Arbroath 142 km · Peterhead 146 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 Inverness (57.4791°, -4.224°, elevation 15 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).