Kilmarnock weather in May

In May, Kilmarnock sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 77 mm of precipitation across 14 wet days and about 15.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 14°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 15 hours at the start of May to 16 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kilmarnock's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kilmarnock's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
77 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
16 hours
4:15 AM – 8:13 PM
Cloud cover
67%
1st clearest
Wind
17 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Kilmarnock is town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.

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 14°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kilmarnock reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 17°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)
1116
2126
3126
4126
5126
6127
7127
8127
9127
10127
11127
12127
13127
14127
15137
16137
17138
18138
19138
20138
21138
22138
23138
24138
25138
26149
27149
28149
29149
30149
31149

How May really feels in Kilmarnock

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.

Kilmarnock weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 15019.137.40.5
Feb / 12016.22.89.20.6
Mar / 10615.82.111.41.1
Apr10° / 7914.50.713.82.0
May13° / 77140.215.93.1
Jun15° / 10°8514.5017.13.8
Jul16° / 12°9616.7016.64.2
Aug16° / 12°11217.2014.84.2
Sep15° / 10°10515.9012.53.6
Oct12° / 143180.110.12.5
Nov / 14818.60.481.4
Dec / 1581826.90.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33763
43862
53862
63862
73862
83862
93862
103862
113763
123763
133763
143763
153664
163664
173664
183565
193664
203565
213565
223565
233664
243664
253664
263664
273565
283565
293565
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kilmarnock gets around 77 mm of rain and snow over 14 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
347
447
546
646
745
845
945
1045
1145
1245
1345
1445
1545
1645
1745
1845
1945
2045
2145
2245
2346
2446
2546
2645
2745
2845
2945
3045
3145

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
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of May to 16 h 42 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 4:46 AM to 3:53 AM, and sunset from 7:44 PM to 8:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.04:467:44
215.04:447:46
315.14:427:48
415.24:407:50
515.24:377:52
615.34:357:54
715.44:337:56
815.44:317:58
915.54:298:00
1015.64:278:02
1115.64:258:04
1215.74:238:06
1315.84:218:07
1415.84:198:09
1515.94:178:11
1616.04:158:13
1716.04:148:15
1816.14:128:17
1916.14:108:18
2016.24:098:20
2116.24:078:22
2216.34:058:24
2316.44:048:25
2416.44:028:27
2516.54:018:29
2616.53:598:30
2716.63:588:32
2816.63:578:33
2916.73:568:35
3016.73:548:36
3116.73:538:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.76 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.76 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kilmarnock?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kilmarnock.

What to pack for Kilmarnock in May

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

In May, Kilmarnock sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Kilmarnock 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in February near 7°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
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Kilmarnock 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 Kilmarnock peaks around June 18 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 18UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kilmarnock?

Kilmarnock sits at 55.6°N, 4.5°W, 39 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Irvine, 10 km away.

Topography around Kilmarnock

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kilmarnock has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 993 m.

The land around Kilmarnock is covered by grassland (43%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%), trees (21%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
81 m
16 km
336 m
80 km
993 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Irvine 10 km · Kilwinning 14 km · Ayr 19 km · Newton Mearns 21 km · Barrhead 22 km · Johnstone 24 km · Paisley 25 km · East Kilbride 26 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 Kilmarnock (55.6117°, -4.4958°, elevation 39 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).