Perth weather in May

In May, Perth sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 16.1 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 12% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 06 min at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Perth's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Perth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
16 h 06 min
4:07 AM – 8:13 PM
Cloud cover
72%
1st clearest
Wind
11 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Perth is city in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom.

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 Perth reaches about 14°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 10°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)
1124
2125
3125
4135
5135
6135
7135
8135
9135
10135
11135
12135
13135
14136
15146
16146
17146
18146
19146
20146
21146
22147
23147
24157
25157
26157
27157
28157
29157
30157
31158

How May really feels in Perth

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.

Perth 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 / 10015.55.77.30.2
Feb / 7612.34.59.10.5
Mar / 7513.73.611.41.3
Apr11° / 6412.61.213.92.4
May14° / 7112.80.116.13.6
Jun16° / 7413.3017.34.4
Jul18° / 11°8214.2016.85.1
Aug18° / 10°8713.8014.95.0
Sep15° / 6911.7012.54.2
Oct12° / 10113.80.110.12.7
Nov / 9014.21.17.91.2
Dec / 9113.236.70.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32773
42872
52872
62872
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122773
132773
142773
152674
162674
172674
182674
192674
202674
212674
222575
232575
242476
252476
262476
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Perth gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 42% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
344
444
544
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1841
1941
2041
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2739
2839
2939
3040
3140

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
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 11 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
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 06 min at the start of May to 16 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:39 AM to 3:44 AM, and sunset from 7:43 PM to 8:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.14:397:43
215.14:377:45
315.24:357:47
415.34:327:49
515.34:307:51
615.44:287:53
715.54:267:55
815.64:247:57
915.64:217:59
1015.74:198:01
1115.84:178:03
1215.84:158:05
1315.94:138:07
1416.04:118:09
1516.04:098:11
1616.14:078:13
1716.24:058:15
1816.24:048:16
1916.34:028:18
2016.34:008:20
2116.43:588:22
2216.43:578:24
2316.53:558:25
2416.63:548:27
2516.63:528:29
2616.73:518:31
2716.73:498:32
2816.83:488:34
2916.83:468:35
3016.93:458:37
3116.93:448:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.71 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.34 kWh/m² to a high of 4.71 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Perth?

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

3.6
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 Perth.

What to pack for Perth in May

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

In May, Perth sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Perth 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 36 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 Perth 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 Perth peaks around June 23 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Perth?

Perth sits at 56.4°N, 3.4°W, 10 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Glenrothes, 27 km away.

Topography around Perth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Perth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 222 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 415 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,320 m.

The land around Perth is covered by trees (32%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, cropland (37%), grassland (36%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (55%) within 80 km.

3 km
222 m
16 km
415 m
80 km
1,320 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Glenrothes 27 km · Dundee 29 km · Kirkcaldy 35 km · Dunfermline 36 km · Alloa 38 km · Saint Andrews 39 km · Stirling 44 km · Grangemouth 46 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 Perth (56.3952°, -3.4314°, elevation 10 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).