Workington weather in May

In May, Workington sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 79 mm of rain across 13.1 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 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Workington's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Workington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
79 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:16 AM – 8:05 PM
Cloud cover
66%
1st clearest
Wind
17 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Workington is town, civil parish and port 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 14°C by the end.

A typical May day in Workington reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 17°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)
1127
2127
3127
4127
5127
6127
7127
8127
9137
10137
11138
12138
13138
14138
15138
16138
17138
18138
19138
20139
21149
22149
23149
24149
25149
26149
27149
28149
291410
301410
311510

How May really feels in Workington

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.

Workington 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 / 12817.71.27.60.6
Feb / 10114.71.49.30.7
Mar / 8814.50.811.51.2
Apr10° / 7513.30.313.72.2
May13° / 7913.1015.83.4
Jun16° / 11°8713.8016.94.2
Jul17° / 13°9815.9016.54.7
Aug17° / 13°11717.1014.74.6
Sep16° / 11°10815012.54.0
Oct13° / 14117010.22.9
Nov10° / 14018.50.28.21.6
Dec / 14117.60.97.10.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
33961
43961
54060
63961
73961
83961
93862
103862
113862
123763
133763
143763
153664
163664
173664
183664
193565
203565
213565
223664
233664
243664
253664
263664
273862
283862
293862
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Workington gets around 79 mm of rain over 13.1 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 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
344
443
543
643
743
842
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
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
151000
161000
171000
181000
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28973
29973
30973
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 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 96 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:46 AM to 3:55 AM, and sunset from 7:37 PM to 8:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.94:467:37
214.94:447:39
315.04:427:41
415.14:397:43
515.14:377:44
615.24:357:46
715.34:337:48
815.34:317:50
915.44:297:52
1015.44:277:54
1115.54:257:56
1215.64:237:57
1315.64:227:59
1415.74:208:01
1515.74:188:03
1615.84:168:05
1715.94:158:06
1815.94:138:08
1916.04:118:10
2016.04:108:11
2116.14:088:13
2216.14:078:15
2316.24:058:16
2416.24:048:18
2516.34:028:19
2616.34:018:21
2716.44:008:22
2816.43:598:24
2916.53:578:25
3016.53:568:27
3116.53:558:28

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 0.42 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
24.5Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Workington?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Workington.

What to pack for Workington in May

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

In May, Workington sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Workington 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 16°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Workington 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 Workington peaks around June 16 at about 5 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 16UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Workington?

Workington sits at 54.6°N, 3.5°W, 20 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Whitehaven, 11 km away.

Morecambe

Topography around Workington

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Workington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 136 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 m.

The land around Workington is covered by grassland (34%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (50%) and grassland (37%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
136 m
16 km
562 m
80 km
961 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Whitehaven 11 km · Dumfries 48 km · Carlisle 48 km · Windermere 50 km · Penrith 51 km · Kendal 62 km · Barrow in Furness 63 km · Morecambe 78 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 Workington (54.6425°, -3.5441°, elevation 20 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).