Windermere weather in May

In May, Windermere sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 86 mm of rain across 14.8 wet days and about 15.7 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 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Windermere's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Windermere's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:15 AM – 8:01 PM
Cloud cover
70%
1st clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Windermere is town in Cumbria, England, UK.

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 Windermere reaches about 13°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 10°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1125
2125
3125
4125
5126
6136
7136
8136
9136
10136
11136
12136
13136
14136
15136
16137
17137
18147
19147
20147
21147
22147
23147
24147
25148
26148
27148
28158
29158
30158
31158

How May really feels in Windermere

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.

Windermere 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 / 13817.33.37.70.2
Feb / 11414.63.19.30.4
Mar / 9314.12.411.51.1
Apr11° / 7413.60.913.72.2
May13° / 8614.8015.73.3
Jun16° / 9515.6016.84.1
Jul18° / 11°10616.8016.44.7
Aug17° / 11°11917.8014.74.4
Sep15° / 10614.3012.53.9
Oct12° / 13616.8010.22.6
Nov / 13317.30.48.21.3
Dec / 144171.87.10.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23169
33268
43268
53466
63466
73466
83466
93466
103367
113367
123268
133169
143169
153070
163070
173070
182971
192872
202872
212872
222872
232872
242872
252872
262872
272872
282872
292872
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Windermere gets around 86 mm of rain over 14.8 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 49% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
348
448
548
648
748
848
948
1049
1149
1249
1350
1450
1550
1650
1749
1849
1949
2049
2149
2249
2349
2449
2548
2648
2748
2848
2948
3049
3149

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 98% 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
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26973
27973
28964
29964
30964
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min at the start of May to 16 h 30 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 4:44 AM to 3:54 AM, and sunset from 7:33 PM to 8:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.84:447:33
214.94:427:35
315.04:407:37
415.04:387:39
515.14:367:41
615.24:347:43
715.24:327:45
815.34:307:47
915.34:287:48
1015.44:267:50
1115.54:247:52
1215.54:227:54
1315.64:207:56
1415.64:187:57
1515.74:177:59
1615.84:158:01
1715.84:138:03
1815.94:128:04
1915.94:108:06
2016.04:088:08
2116.04:078:09
2216.14:058:11
2316.14:048:12
2416.24:038:14
2516.24:018:15
2616.34:008:17
2716.33:598:18
2816.43:578:20
2916.43:568:21
3016.53:558:23
3116.53:548:24

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 0.43 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
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
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 Windermere?

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

3.3
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 Windermere.

What to pack for Windermere in May

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

In May, Windermere sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 7°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Windermere 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 29 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Windermere 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 Windermere peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 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 6Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Windermere?

Windermere sits at 54.4°N, 2.9°W, 0 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Kendal, 12 km away.

Topography around Windermere

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Windermere has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m around an average of 128 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 865 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 m.

The land around Windermere is covered by grassland (50%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
230 m
16 km
865 m
80 km
961 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kendal 12 km · Penrith 33 km · Morecambe 35 km · Barrow in Furness 37 km · Heysham 38 km · Lancaster 38 km · Whitehaven 48 km · Workington 50 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 Windermere (54.3809°, -2.9071°, elevation 0 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).