Lowestoft weather in May

In May, Lowestoft sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 48 mm of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 15.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 36 min at the start of May to 16 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lowestoft's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lowestoft's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
15 h 30 min
4:04 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
62%
2nd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Lowestoft is town and civil parish in East Suffolk, 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 11°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Lowestoft reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1118
2118
3119
4119
5119
6119
7119
8119
9119
10119
11129
12129
13129
141210
151210
161210
171210
181210
191210
201310
211310
221310
231311
241311
251311
261311
271311
281311
291311
301411
311411

How May really feels in Lowestoft

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.

Lowestoft weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6413.10.680.8
Feb / 5310.60.99.50.6
Mar / 4810.70.511.51.1
Apr / 378.8013.62.0
May12° / 10°488.7015.53.3
Jun15° / 13°5410.1016.54.5
Jul18° / 15°5911.2016.15.6
Aug18° / 16°6410.2014.55.9
Sep17° / 14°6611012.45.2
Oct14° / 11°8112.9010.33.7
Nov11° / 7914.50.18.52.2
Dec / 7213.60.57.51.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24258
34258
44258
54357
64357
74357
84357
94456
104456
114456
124555
134555
144555
154456
164357
174456
184456
194258
204357
214357
224258
234357
244258
254258
264258
274159
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lowestoft gets around 48 mm of rain over 8.7 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 29% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
329
429
528
628
727
827
927
1027
1127
1227
1327
1428
1528
1628
1728
1828
1928
2029
2129
2230
2330
2430
2530
2631
2731
2831
2932
3033
3133

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 99% 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
26982
27982
28973
29973
30964
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 21 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 36 min at the start of May to 16 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:31 AM to 3:46 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.64:317:09
214.74:297:11
314.74:287:12
414.84:267:14
514.94:247:16
614.94:227:18
715.04:207:19
815.04:187:21
915.14:167:23
1015.24:147:24
1115.24:137:26
1215.34:117:28
1315.34:097:29
1415.44:087:31
1515.44:067:32
1615.54:047:34
1715.54:037:36
1815.64:017:37
1915.64:007:39
2015.73:597:40
2115.73:577:42
2215.83:567:43
2315.83:547:45
2415.93:537:46
2515.93:527:47
2616.03:517:49
2716.03:507:50
2816.03:497:51
2916.13:477:53
3016.13:467:54
3116.23:467:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.81 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lowestoft?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lowestoft.

What to pack for Lowestoft in May

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

In May, Lowestoft sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Lowestoft 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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Lowestoft 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 Lowestoft peaks around June 23 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lowestoft?

Lowestoft sits at 52.5°N, 1.8°E, 7 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Great Yarmouth, 15 km away.

Topography around Lowestoft

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lowestoft has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 126 m.

The land around Lowestoft is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, water (56%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
59 m
80 km
126 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Great Yarmouth 15 km · Norwich 35 km · Bowthorpe 40 km · East Dereham 60 km · Stowmarket 60 km · Ipswich 62 km · Felixstowe 63 km · Harwich 67 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 Lowestoft (52.4752°, 1.7517°, elevation 7 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).