Newport weather in May

In May, Newport sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 68 mm of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 Newport's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newport's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
68 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 24 min
4:27 AM – 7:49 PM
Cloud cover
69%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Newport is city in south east Wales, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1126

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 14°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Newport 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 20°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
2147
3148
4148
5148
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11158
12158
13158
14159
15159
16169
17169
18169
19169
20169
21169
221610
231610
241610
251710
261710
271710
281710
291710
301710
311710

How May really feels in Newport

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.

Newport weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7713.40.78.11.1
Feb / 6010.50.89.61.2
Mar10° / 6010.90.511.52.1
Apr13° / 6411.20.213.63.3
May16° / 6811.8015.34.5
Jun18° / 12°6410.6016.35.6
Jul20° / 14°6311.2015.96.0
Aug20° / 14°7511.3014.45.9
Sep18° / 11°6310.1012.45.5
Oct14° / 8813.1010.43.8
Nov11° / 8413.70.18.62.2
Dec / 8613.10.57.71.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43268
53466
63466
73367
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133268
143268
153268
163268
173169
183169
193169
203169
213169
223169
233070
243070
253070
263070
273070
283070
293169
303169
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Newport gets around 68 mm of rain over 11.8 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
539
639
739
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1440
1540
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2438
2538
2638
2737
2837
2937
3037
3137

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19964
20964
21964
22955
23955
24946
25946
26937
27937
28928
29919
30919
319010

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 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light 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 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 4:53 AM to 4:09 AM, and sunset from 7:25 PM to 8:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:537:25
214.64:517:27
314.74:497:29
414.74:477:30
514.84:457:32
614.84:447:34
714.94:427:35
814.94:407:37
915.04:387:38
1015.14:377:40
1115.14:357:42
1215.24:337:43
1315.24:327:45
1415.34:307:46
1515.34:297:48
1615.44:277:49
1715.44:267:51
1815.54:247:52
1915.54:237:54
2015.64:217:55
2115.64:207:57
2215.74:197:58
2315.74:178:00
2415.74:168:01
2515.84:158:02
2615.84:148:04
2715.94:138:05
2815.94:128:06
2915.94:118:08
3016.04:108:09
3116.04:098:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.64 kWh/m² to a high of 5.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 4.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Newport?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Newport for sightseeing.

What to pack for Newport in May

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

In May, Newport sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Newport 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 25 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
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Newport 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 Newport peaks around August 12 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Newport?

Newport sits at 51.6°N, 3.0°W, 16 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Risca, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Newport

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Newport has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 864 m.

The land around Newport is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, grassland (34%), trees (28%) and water (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) within 80 km.

3 km
106 m
16 km
472 m
80 km
864 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Risca 7.0 km · Cwmbran 8.0 km · Pontypool 13 km · Caerphilly 15 km · Blackwood 17 km · Cardiff 17 km · Clevedon 19 km · Portishead 20 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 Newport (51.5877°, -2.9983°, elevation 16 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).