Southampton weather in May

In May, Southampton sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 15% 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 Southampton's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Southampton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:23 AM – 7:40 PM
Cloud cover
69%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Southampton is city and major port in Hampshire, South-East England, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
5,242/km²
people per km²

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 Southampton 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
7157
8157
9158
10158
11168
12168
13168
14168
15168
16168
17168
18169
19169
20179
21179
22179
23179
24179
25179
26179
271710
281710
291710
301810
311810

How May really feels in Southampton

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.

Southampton 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 / 6711.50.58.21.1
Feb / 5110.10.79.71.3
Mar10° / 4810.20.511.52.3
Apr13° / 5611.10.113.53.5
May16° / 5710015.34.9
Jun19° / 11°5410016.25.9
Jul21° / 13°5310015.86.4
Aug21° / 13°6510.4014.36.2
Sep18° / 11°549.3012.45.8
Oct14° / 7511.6010.44.0
Nov11° / 7511.708.72.4
Dec / 7111.40.57.81.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33268
43268
53268
63367
73367
83367
93466
103367
113367
123367
133367
143268
153268
163268
173169
183169
193169
203169
213169
223169
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Southampton gets around 57 mm of rain over 10 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 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
237
336
435
535
634
733
833
932
1033
1133
1233
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2733
2833
2934
3034
3134

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
79730
89640
99640
109640
119640
129640
139550
149550
159550
169550
179550
189550
199550
209550
219361
229361
239271
249271
259271
269181
279091
289091
2989101
3089101
3188111

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
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 4:49 AM to 4:06 AM, and sunset from 7:17 PM to 8:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:497:17
214.54:477:19
314.64:457:20
414.64:437:22
514.74:417:23
614.84:397:25
714.84:387:27
814.94:367:28
914.94:347:30
1015.04:337:31
1115.04:317:33
1215.14:297:34
1315.14:287:36
1415.24:267:37
1515.24:257:39
1615.34:237:40
1715.34:227:42
1815.44:207:43
1915.44:197:45
2015.54:187:46
2115.54:167:48
2215.64:157:49
2315.64:147:50
2415.64:137:52
2515.74:127:53
2615.74:117:54
2715.84:097:56
2815.84:087:57
2915.84:077:58
3015.94:077:59
3115.94:068:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.44 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.14 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Southampton?

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 Southampton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Southampton in May

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

In May, Southampton 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 Southampton 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 31 km away) 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 Southampton 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 Southampton peaks around August 12 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 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Southampton?

Southampton sits at 50.9°N, 1.4°W, 19 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Hythe, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Southampton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Southampton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 150 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 m.

The land around Southampton is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and water (23%) within 3 km, trees (40%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and water (29%), grassland (28%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
150 m
80 km
302 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Hythe 5.0 km · Totton 6.0 km · Hedge End 7.0 km · Eastleigh 8.0 km · Bishopstoke 9.0 km · Romsey 12 km · Fareham 17 km · Cowes 17 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 Southampton (50.904°, -1.4043°, elevation 19 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).