Taunton weather in May

In May, Taunton sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 65 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-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 Taunton's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Taunton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
65 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:30 AM – 7:48 PM
Cloud cover
69%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Taunton is town and civil parish in Somerset, England.

Density
3,960/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 Taunton 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)
1147
2147
3157
4157
5157
6157
7157
8157
9157
10157
11157
12158
13158
14168
15168
16168
17168
18168
19168
20168
21169
22169
23179
24179
25179
26179
27179
28179
29179
30179
311710

How May really feels in Taunton

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.

Taunton weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6211.80.58.21.2
Feb / 51100.69.61.4
Mar10° / 5510.60.411.52.3
Apr13° / 6411.40.113.53.4
May16° / 6511.4015.34.6
Jun19° / 11°6311016.25.7
Jul20° / 13°6010.5015.86.2
Aug20° / 13°6810.8014.36.1
Sep18° / 11°529.4012.45.7
Oct14° / 7112.2010.43.9
Nov11° / 6912.208.72.4
Dec / 6811.70.27.81.5

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 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23565
33565
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123664
133565
143565
153565
163466
173466
183367
193367
203367
213268
223169
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293169
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Taunton gets around 65 mm of rain over 11.4 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 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
539
639
739
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1638
1738
1838
1937
2037
2137
2237
2337
2437
2537
2636
2737
2837
2937
3037
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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3982
4982
5982
6982
7973
8973
9973
10973
11973
12973
13973
14964
15964
16964
17964
18964
19964
20964
21955
22955
23955
24946
25946
26937
27937
28928
29928
30919
319010

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
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 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 4:55 AM to 4:12 AM, and sunset from 7:24 PM to 8:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.54:557:24
214.54:537:26
314.64:517:27
414.74:497:29
514.74:487:31
614.84:467:32
714.84:447:34
814.94:427:35
914.94:417:37
1015.04:397:39
1115.04:377:40
1215.14:367:42
1315.24:347:43
1415.24:337:45
1515.34:317:46
1615.34:307:48
1715.34:287:49
1815.44:277:51
1915.44:257:52
2015.54:247:53
2115.54:237:55
2215.64:217:56
2315.64:207:58
2415.74:197:59
2515.74:188:00
2615.74:178:02
2715.84:168:03
2815.84:158:04
2915.94:148:05
3015.94:138:06
3115.94:128:08

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 0.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 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
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
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
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Taunton?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Taunton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Taunton in May

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

In May, Taunton sees daytime highs around 16°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 Taunton 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 40 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
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Taunton 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 Taunton peaks around August 14 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 14UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Taunton?

Taunton sits at 51.0°N, 3.1°W, 22 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bridgwater, 14 km away.

Topography around Taunton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Taunton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Taunton is covered by grassland (30%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (45%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
384 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Bridgwater 14 km · Burnham-on-Sea 26 km · Tiverton 30 km · Yeovil 34 km · Weston-super-Mare 38 km · Mendip 41 km · Heavitree 43 km · Exeter 44 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 Taunton (51.0149°, -3.1029°, elevation 22 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).