Stanley weather in May

In May, Stanley sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 57 mm of rain across 12.9 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 13% 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 Stanley's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stanley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:08 AM – 7:58 PM
Cloud cover
71%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Stanley 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 Stanley reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 18°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)
1125
2125
3125
4125
5135
6136
7136
8136
9136
10136
11136
12136
13136
14136
15146
16147
17147
18147
19147
20147
21147
22147
23147
24158
25158
26158
27158
28158
29158
30158
31158

How May really feels in Stanley

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.

Stanley 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 / 6413.63.37.60.4
Feb / 58123.29.30.6
Mar / 5312.12.311.41.4
Apr11° / 5912.40.813.82.4
May14° / 5712.9015.83.5
Jun16° / 10°73130174.6
Jul19° / 11°7313.4016.55.4
Aug18° / 11°7513.4014.75.3
Sep16° / 6210.6012.54.6
Oct12° / 6412.30.110.23.0
Nov / 70130.98.11.5
Dec / 7213.72.370.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
63169
73169
83169
93070
103070
113070
123070
132971
142971
152872
162872
172872
182872
192872
202872
212872
222773
232773
242872
252872
262872
272872
282872
292872
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Stanley gets around 57 mm of rain over 12.9 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 43% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
542
642
742
842
943
1043
1143
1244
1344
1444
1544
1643
1743
1843
1942
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2943
3043
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 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
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20982
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light 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 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 4:38 AM to 3:46 AM, and sunset from 7:30 PM to 8:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:387:30
214.94:367:32
315.04:337:34
415.14:317:36
515.14:297:38
615.24:277:40
715.34:257:42
815.34:237:44
915.44:217:45
1015.54:197:47
1115.54:177:49
1215.64:157:51
1315.74:137:53
1415.74:117:55
1515.84:107:56
1615.84:087:58
1715.94:068:00
1816.04:048:02
1916.04:038:03
2016.14:018:05
2116.14:008:07
2216.23:588:08
2316.23:578:10
2416.33:558:12
2516.33:548:13
2616.43:528:15
2716.43:518:16
2816.53:508:18
2916.53:498:19
3016.63:478:21
3116.63:468:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.89 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.44 kWh/m² to a high of 4.89 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.89 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Stanley?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Stanley.

What to pack for Stanley in May

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

In May, Stanley sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Stanley 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 at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) 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 Stanley 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 Stanley 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 6 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 Stanley?

Stanley sits at 54.9°N, 1.7°W, 225 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Chester-le-Street, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Stanley

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Stanley has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 179 m around an average of 185 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 396 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.

The land around Stanley is covered by grassland (43%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, grassland (41%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (55%) within 80 km.

3 km
179 m
16 km
396 m
80 km
906 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Chester-le-Street 8.0 km · Consett 9.0 km · Whickham 9.0 km · Blaydon-on-Tyne 11 km · Gateshead 12 km · Washington 12 km · Felling 12 km · Durham 13 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 Stanley (54.868°, -1.6985°, elevation 225 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).