Sandown weather in May

In May, Sandown sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 50 mm of rain across 9.8 wet days and about 15.2 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 20% 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 Sandown's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sandown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
50 mm
9.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:23 AM – 7:39 PM
Cloud cover
67%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Sandown is seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, 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 Sandown reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°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)
1148
2148
3158
4158
5158
6159
7159
8159
9159
10159
11159
12169
13169
14169
15169
161610
171610
181610
191610
201610
211710
221710
231710
241710
251711
261711
271711
281711
291711
301711
311711

How May really feels in Sandown

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.

Sandown 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6711.88.31.4
Feb / 509.79.71.4
Mar10° / 459.711.52.3
Apr13° / 4910.413.53.5
May16° / 10°509.815.24.9
Jun19° / 12°479.716.25.9
Jul21° / 14°481015.86.4
Aug21° / 15°5810.214.36.3
Sep18° / 13°529.112.45.9
Oct15° / 10°7611.910.44.2
Nov11° / 7912.18.72.7
Dec / 74127.81.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33565
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123664
133565
143664
153664
163664
173664
183664
193565
203565
213664
223664
233664
243664
253763
263763
273763
283763
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sandown gets around 50 mm of rain over 9.8 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
334
434
533
633
732
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
2932
3033
3133

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29820
39820
49820
59730
69730
79640
89640
99640
109640
119550
129550
139550
149550
159550
169550
179550
189460
199361
209361
219361
229271
239271
249181
259181
269091
2789101
2889101
2988111
3087121
3186131

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 4:48 AM to 4:06 AM, and sunset from 7:15 PM to 7:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:487:15
214.54:467:17
314.64:457:19
414.64:437:20
514.74:417:22
614.74:397:23
714.84:377:25
814.84:367:26
914.94:347:28
1015.04:327:30
1115.04:317:31
1215.14:297:33
1315.14:287:34
1415.24:267:36
1515.24:257:37
1615.34:237:39
1715.34:227:40
1815.44:207:41
1915.44:197:43
2015.44:187:44
2115.54:167:46
2215.54:157:47
2315.64:147:48
2415.64:137:50
2515.74:127:51
2615.74:117:52
2715.74:107:53
2815.84:097:55
2915.84:087:56
3015.84:077:57
3115.94:067:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.66 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.3 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sandown?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sandown for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sandown in May

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

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

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sandown 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 18°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Sandown 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 Sandown peaks around August 11 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 11UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sandown?

Sandown sits at 50.7°N, 1.2°W, 37 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Ryde, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Sandown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sandown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 m.

The land around Sandown is covered by water (38%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, water (63%) within 16 km, and water (42%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
127 m
16 km
243 m
80 km
302 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Ryde 9.0 km · Newport 11 km · Southsea 15 km · Cowes 16 km · Gosport 16 km · Portsmouth 17 km · South Hayling 20 km · Hayling Island 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 Sandown (50.6516°, -1.161°, elevation 37 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).