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Weather in May in Scotland

Are you planning a trip a to Scotland in May and wondering what kind of weather to expect? This page has all the details you need.

What is the weather like in Scotland in May?

May in Scotland generally has temperatures that range from cold to moderate, with precipitation levels ranging from moderate to high.

Temperatures

During the day temperatures vary from cold in Shetland at 10°C to moderate in Glasgow at 15°C. At night it cools down to 7°C in Glasgow and 7°C in Shetland.

Precipitation

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Shetland with an average of 52 mm to high rainfall in Inverinate with 143 mm.

Average sunshine

Meanwhile, Edinburgh enjoys close to 193 hours of sunlight. This means it's a great month if you prefer bright and sunny days.

For specific regional insights in Scotland for May, refer to the map provided below. For an in-depth overview of the yearly weather conditions, do visit our Scotland climate page.

Where to go in Scotland in May

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Scotland on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in Scotland?

Edinburgh

In May Edinburgh generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 15°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Edinburgh
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
12°C 
5°C 
155 hours 
66 mm 
15 days 
15°C 
7°C 
193 hours 
67 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
18°C 
10°C 
162 hours 
79 mm 
14 days 
Climate in Edinburgh

Aberdeen

In May Aberdeen generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 13°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Aberdeen
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
11°C 
5°C 
155 hours 
63 mm 
17 days 
13°C 
7°C 
203 hours 
59 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
15°C 
10°C 
165 hours 
72 mm 
15 days 
Climate in Aberdeen

Oban

In May Oban generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 14°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Oban
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
11°C 
5°C 
145 hours 
131 mm 
17 days 
poor 
14°C 
7°C 
189 hours 
128 mm 
18 days 
June   >> June
>>  
16°C 
10°C 
174 hours 
134 mm 
18 days 
Climate in Oban

Dundee

In May Dundee generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 15°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Dundee
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
12°C 
5°C 
147 hours 
63 mm 
14 days 
15°C 
7°C 
193 hours 
68 mm 
15 days 
June   >> June
>>  
18°C 
10°C 
165 hours 
76 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Dundee

Shetland

In May Shetland generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Shetland
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
9°C 
6°C 
130 hours 
67 mm 
19 days 
poor 
10°C 
7°C 
182 hours 
52 mm 
17 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
9°C 
147 hours 
60 mm 
16 days 
Climate in Shetland

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Scotland.

Is May the best time to visit Scotland?

Given the typically tolerable weather conditions in Edinburgh, May might be a good time to visit Scotland. It's worth noting that weather conditions might differ depending on the location you visit.

Generally speaking, June, July and August provide pleasant weather in Edinburgh. In contrast, January, February, March, November and December tend to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Scotland. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
  • February      
  • March      
  • April      
  • May      
  • June      
  • July      
  • August      
  • September      
  • October      
  • November      
  • December      
  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Scotland? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Scotland.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.