Sittingbourne weather in May

In May, Sittingbourne sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-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 19% 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 16 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sittingbourne's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sittingbourne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:13 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
67%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Sittingbourne is industrial town in Kent, England, 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 15°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Sittingbourne reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°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 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
2158
3158
4158
5158
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11168
12168
13169
14169
15169
16169
17169
18169
19179
20179
21179
221710
231710
241710
251710
261710
271710
281710
291810
301810
311810

How May really feels in Sittingbourne

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.

Sittingbourne weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5410.90.78.21.0
Feb / 459.51.19.61.1
Mar10° / 43100.411.52.2
Apr13° / 5011.20.113.53.5
May16° / 5710.5015.34.9
Jun19° / 12°5810016.35.9
Jul22° / 14°5911.1015.96.4
Aug22° / 14°6510.5014.46.4
Sep19° / 12°509.6012.45.9
Oct15° / 6110.7010.44.2
Nov10° / 61110.18.62.3
Dec / 6011.50.97.71.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23565
33565
43565
53763
63664
73664
83763
93862
103862
113862
123763
133763
143763
153763
163763
173763
183763
193664
203664
213664
223565
233466
243565
253565
263466
273466
283466
293466
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sittingbourne gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.5 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
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3035
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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6982
7982
8982
9982
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15964
16964
17964
18955
19955
20946
21946
22937
23928
24928
25919
269010
278911
288812
298812
308713
318614

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
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 16 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:39 AM to 3:55 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:397:10
214.64:377:11
314.64:357:13
414.74:337:15
514.74:317:16
614.84:307:18
714.94:287:20
814.94:267:21
915.04:247:23
1015.04:237:24
1115.14:217:26
1215.14:197:27
1315.24:187:29
1415.24:167:31
1515.34:157:32
1615.34:137:34
1715.44:127:35
1815.44:107:37
1915.54:097:38
2015.54:077:39
2115.64:067:41
2215.64:057:42
2315.74:047:44
2415.74:027:45
2515.84:017:46
2615.84:007:48
2715.83:597:49
2815.93:587:50
2915.93:577:51
3015.93:567:53
3116.03:557:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.64 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sittingbourne?

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
0.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sittingbourne for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sittingbourne in May

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

In May, Sittingbourne sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sittingbourne 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 at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 7°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
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Sittingbourne 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 Sittingbourne peaks around June 23 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sittingbourne?

Sittingbourne sits at 51.3°N, 0.7°E, 16 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Faversham, 11 km away.

Topography around Sittingbourne

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sittingbourne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m.

The land around Sittingbourne is covered by cropland (28%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (26%), cropland (26%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
81 m
16 km
211 m
80 km
303 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Faversham 11 km · Gillingham 14 km · Chatham 15 km · Rochester 17 km · Maidstone 17 km · Strood 19 km · Whitstable 20 km · Southend-on-Sea 22 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 Sittingbourne (51.3413°, 0.7328°, elevation 16 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).