Saltash weather in May

In May, Saltash sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 75 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 15.2 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 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Saltash's 2nd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Saltash's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
75 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
15 h 12 min
4:36 AM – 7:50 PM
Cloud cover
70%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Saltash is town and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

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

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 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Saltash reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°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 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1137
2147
3147
4147
5147
6147
7147
8147
9147
10147
11148
12158
13158
14158
15158
16158
17158
18158
19158
20158
21158
22169
23169
24169
25169
26169
27169
28169
29169
30169
311610

How May really feels in Saltash

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.

Saltash 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 / 8513.80.48.31.2
Feb / 7111.60.59.71.3
Mar10° / 6511.90.411.52.0
Apr12° / 7312.40.113.53.0
May15° / 7512.7015.24.1
Jun17° / 11°7412.6016.15.1
Jul19° / 13°7212.2015.85.7
Aug19° / 13°7712.9014.35.6
Sep17° / 11°6110.4012.45.2
Oct14° / 9113.6010.53.6
Nov11° / 881408.82.3
Dec / 9313.50.27.91.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23268
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123169
133070
143070
153070
163169
173169
183070
193070
203070
213169
223070
233070
243070
253070
263268
273268
283268
293268
303268
313169

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Saltash gets around 75 mm of rain over 12.7 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
544
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1244
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1841
1941
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2741
2841
2941
3042
3143

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20964
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27955
28946
29946
30937
31937

Wind in May

Winds average 15 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
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
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 48 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 5:01 AM to 4:19 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 8:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:017:27
214.54:597:29
314.54:587:30
414.64:567:32
514.74:547:33
614.74:527:35
714.84:507:36
814.84:497:38
914.94:477:39
1014.94:467:41
1115.04:447:43
1215.04:427:44
1315.14:417:46
1415.14:397:47
1515.24:387:48
1615.24:367:50
1715.34:357:51
1815.34:347:53
1915.44:327:54
2015.44:317:56
2115.54:307:57
2215.54:287:58
2315.54:278:00
2415.64:268:01
2515.64:258:02
2615.74:248:03
2715.74:238:05
2815.74:228:06
2915.84:218:07
3015.84:208:08
3115.84:198:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.44 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Saltash?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Saltash for sightseeing.

What to pack for Saltash in May

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

In May, Saltash sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Saltash 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Saltash 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 Saltash peaks around August 13 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 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Saltash?

Saltash sits at 50.4°N, 4.2°W, 64 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Plymouth, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Saltash

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Saltash has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Saltash is covered by grassland (30%), trees (25%) and water (22%) within 3 km, grassland (36%), water (26%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
331 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Plymouth 7.0 km · Plymstock 11 km · Bodmin 36 km · St Austell 40 km · Newton Abbot 45 km · Paignton 47 km · Torquay 50 km · Brixham 50 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 Saltash (50.4096°, -4.2251°, elevation 64 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).