Seaham weather in May

In May, Seaham sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 46 mm of rain across 11 wet days and about 15.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-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 16% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Seaham's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Seaham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
46 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:07 AM – 7:57 PM
Cloud cover
68%
1st clearest
Wind
17 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Seaham is town and civil parish in County Durham, 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 12°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Seaham reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1127
2127
3127
4127
5127
6127
7127
8127
9137
10137
11137
12138
13138
14138
15138
16138
17138
18148
19148
20148
21149
22149
23149
24149
25149
26149
27159
28159
29159
301510
311510

How May really feels in Seaham

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.

Seaham weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5813.21.47.60.8
Feb / 5011.71.69.30.9
Mar / 4510.70.911.41.6
Apr11° / 5110.50.313.82.5
May13° / 4611015.83.6
Jun16° / 11°6111.4016.94.7
Jul18° / 13°6111.5016.55.6
Aug18° / 13°6811.8014.75.6
Sep16° / 11°579.9012.54.9
Oct13° / 6412.5010.23.3
Nov10° / 7113.10.48.11.9
Dec / 6513.71.270.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23565
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123565
133565
143565
153565
163367
173367
183367
193367
203268
213268
223268
233169
243169
253070
263070
273070
283070
293070
303070
312872

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Seaham gets around 46 mm of rain over 11 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
736
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1636
1736
1835
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2636
2736
2837
2937
3038
3138

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
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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 54 min at the start of May to 16 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:36 AM to 3:45 AM, and sunset from 7:29 PM to 8:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:367:29
214.94:347:31
315.04:327:33
415.14:307:35
515.14:287:36
615.24:267:38
715.34:247:40
815.34:227:42
915.44:207:44
1015.54:187:46
1115.54:167:48
1215.64:147:49
1315.74:127:51
1415.74:107:53
1515.84:087:55
1615.84:077:57
1715.94:057:58
1815.94:038:00
1916.04:028:02
2016.14:008:04
2116.13:588:05
2216.23:578:07
2316.23:558:09
2416.33:548:10
2516.33:538:12
2616.43:518:13
2716.43:508:15
2816.53:498:16
2916.53:478:18
3016.53:468:19
3116.63:458:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.05 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Seaham?

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
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Seaham.

What to pack for Seaham in May

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

In May, Seaham sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Seaham in May

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 15°C and coldest in March 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
Feb7Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Seaham 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 Seaham peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Seaham?

Seaham sits at 54.8°N, 1.3°W, 43 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Houghton-Le-Spring, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Seaham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Seaham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.

The land around Seaham is covered by water (34%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, water (44%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
132 m
16 km
190 m
80 km
906 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Houghton-Le-Spring 8.0 km · Sunderland 8.0 km · Peterlee 9.0 km · Washington 13 km · Chester-le-Street 15 km · Durham 16 km · Jarrow 18 km · Hebburn 18 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 Seaham (54.839°, -1.3458°, elevation 43 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).