Maidstone weather in May

In May, Maidstone sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 56 mm of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Maidstone's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Maidstone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
56 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:14 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
68%
5th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Maidstone is county town of Kent, England.

Density
4,229/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 15°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Maidstone reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°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)
1147
2157
3157
4157
5158
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11158
12168
13168
14168
15169
16169
17169
18169
19169
20169
21179
22179
23179
241710
251710
261710
271710
281710
291710
301710
311810

How May really feels in Maidstone

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.

Maidstone weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 56110.78.20.9
Feb / 469.41.19.61.1
Mar10° / 4410.10.511.52.2
Apr13° / 5111.10.113.53.4
May16° / 5610.6015.34.8
Jun19° / 11°5910.2016.35.9
Jul21° / 14°5911.2015.96.3
Aug21° / 14°6811014.46.3
Sep18° / 11°509.6012.45.8
Oct14° / 6211010.44.1
Nov10° / 6311.20.18.72.3
Dec / 6211.517.71.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33367
43466
53466
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133565
143565
153565
163466
173565
183466
193466
203466
213367
223268
233367
243367
253367
263268
273268
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Maidstone gets around 56 mm of rain over 10.6 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
237
337
437
536
636
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1336
1436
1536
1636
1735
1835
1935
2035
2135
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3034
3135

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69820
79820
89820
99820
109730
119730
129730
139730
149730
159730
169640
179640
189640
199640
209550
219550
229460
239460
249370
259370
269280
279190
289190
2989101
3088111
3187121

Wind in May

Winds average 14 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
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 16 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:40 AM to 3:56 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:407:10
214.64:387:12
314.64:367:14
414.74:347:15
514.74:327:17
614.84:317:19
714.94:297:20
814.94:277:22
915.04:257:23
1015.04:247:25
1115.14:227:26
1215.14:207:28
1315.24:197:30
1415.24:177:31
1515.34:167:33
1615.34:147:34
1715.44:137:36
1815.44:117:37
1915.54:107:39
2015.54:097:40
2115.64:077:41
2215.64:067:43
2315.74:057:44
2415.74:047:46
2515.74:027:47
2615.84:017:48
2715.84:007:49
2815.93:597:51
2915.93:587:52
3015.93:577:53
3116.03:567:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.5 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Maidstone?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Maidstone for sightseeing.

What to pack for Maidstone in May

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

In May, Maidstone sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Maidstone in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 44 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Maidstone 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 Maidstone peaks around July 24 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 24UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Maidstone?

Maidstone sits at 51.3°N, 0.5°E, 9 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Chatham, 13 km away.

Topography around Maidstone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Maidstone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 103 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 241 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m.

The land around Maidstone is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 3 km, trees (34%), grassland (32%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and water (35%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
103 m
16 km
241 m
80 km
303 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Chatham 13 km · Rochester 13 km · Gillingham 14 km · Strood 14 km · Sittingbourne 17 km · Tonbridge 19 km · Hartley 20 km · Longfield 21 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 Maidstone (51.2667°, 0.5167°, elevation 9 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).