Royal Tunbridge Wells weather in May

In May, Royal Tunbridge Wells sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 56 mm of rain across 10.4 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 15 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Royal Tunbridge Wells's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Royal Tunbridge Wells's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
56 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:16 AM – 7:35 PM
Cloud cover
68%
5th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Royal Tunbridge Wells is town in Kent, 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 15°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Royal Tunbridge Wells reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°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)
1157
2157
3157
4157
5157
6157
7158
8158
9158
10158
11168
12168
13168
14168
15168
16168
17169
18169
19169
20179
21179
22179
23179
24179
25179
261710
271710
281710
291710
301710
311810

How May really feels in Royal Tunbridge Wells

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.

Royal Tunbridge Wells 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 / 5811.60.98.20.9
Feb / 489.519.61.1
Mar10° / 4510.20.511.52.2
Apr13° / 5211.20.113.53.5
May16° / 5610.4015.34.8
Jun19° / 11°6010.3016.25.9
Jul21° / 13°5911.1015.96.3
Aug21° / 13°6910.7014.46.3
Sep18° / 11°509.4012.45.8
Oct14° / 6211010.44.1
Nov10° / 6511.30.18.72.3
Dec / 6311.40.97.81.1

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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23466
33367
43367
53466
63466
73466
83466
93565
103466
113466
123466
133466
143367
153367
163367
173268
183268
193367
203268
213268
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Royal Tunbridge Wells gets around 56 mm of rain over 10.4 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
238
337
437
536
636
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1734
1834
1934
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
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
229550
239460
249460
259370
269370
279280
289190
299091
3089101
3188111

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
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light 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 15 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:41 AM to 3:58 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:417:11
214.64:397:13
314.64:387:14
414.74:367:16
514.74:347:18
614.84:327:19
714.84:307:21
814.94:297:22
915.04:277:24
1015.04:257:25
1115.14:237:27
1215.14:227:29
1315.24:207:30
1415.24:197:32
1515.34:177:33
1615.34:167:35
1715.44:147:36
1815.44:137:38
1915.54:117:39
2015.54:107:40
2115.64:097:42
2215.64:087:43
2315.64:067:45
2415.74:057:46
2515.74:047:47
2615.84:037:49
2715.84:027:50
2815.84:017:51
2915.94:007:52
3015.93:597:54
3115.93:587:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.69 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.34 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Royal Tunbridge Wells?

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 Royal Tunbridge Wells for sightseeing.

What to pack for Royal Tunbridge Wells in May

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

In May, Royal Tunbridge Wells sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Royal Tunbridge Wells in May

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 38 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Royal Tunbridge Wells 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 Royal Tunbridge Wells 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 Royal Tunbridge Wells?

Royal Tunbridge Wells sits at 51.1°N, 0.3°E, 118 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Tonbridge, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Royal Tunbridge Wells

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Royal Tunbridge Wells has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 110 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 238 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m.

The land around Royal Tunbridge Wells is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (39%) within 16 km, and water (31%), grassland (23%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
238 m
80 km
303 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Tonbridge 7.0 km · Crowborough 11 km · Sevenoaks 16 km · East Grinstead 19 km · Uckfield 22 km · Maidstone 23 km · Hartley 28 km · Caterham 29 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 Royal Tunbridge Wells (51.1332°, 0.2626°, elevation 118 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).