Scotland · United Kingdom
Edinburgh in May
In May, Edinburgh averages a daytime high of 14 °C and a night-time low of 5 °C, with about 71 mm of rain over the month. Edinburgh has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here.
- Average high
- 14 °C
- Average low
- 5 °C
- Rain in the month
- 71 mm
- Daylight on 15 May
- 16 h 20 min
- Comfortable month
- No
- Places to stay
- 121
When to go
How May compares with the rest of the year in Edinburgh
May is the 5th warmest month in Edinburgh by average daytime high; across the year the highs run from 5 °C to 18 °C and the lows from 0 °C to 10 °C. By day, May is 3 °C warmer than April, and June is 3 °C warmer than May.
May brings 71 mm of rain, less than the monthly average of 91 mm (1089 mm a year); it is the 11th wettest month.
On 15 May the sun is up for about 16 h 20 min, against 7 h at the shortest and 17 h 30 min at the longest point of the year (calculated from the latitude, sunrise to sunset).
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5 °C | 0 °C | 105 mm | |
| February | 6 °C | 0 °C | 86 mm | |
| March | 8 °C | 1 °C | 78 mm | |
| April | 11 °C | 3 °C | 63 mm | |
| May | 14 °C | 5 °C | 71 mm | |
| June | 17 °C | 8 °C | 79 mm | |
| July | 18 °C | 10 °C | 88 mm | |
| August | 18 °C | 10 °C | 92 mm | |
| September | 15 °C | 8 °C | 88 mm | |
| October | 12 °C | 5 °C | 121 mm | |
| November | 8 °C | 3 °C | 110 mm | |
| December | 6 °C | 1 °C | 110 mm |
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
When to go
Is May a good time to visit Edinburgh?
Not by the measure used here: the average high of 14 °C is below 18 °C. No month in Edinburgh meets it.
The measure is about weather for a city stay only; it says nothing about events, school holidays or prices.
Public holidays in United Kingdom in May
Nationwide public holidays; shops and offices may close on these dates.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Edinburgh
This guide lists 121 places to stay in Edinburgh: 16 chain properties with their details and own websites, and 105 hotels recorded in Wikidata. By straight-line distance from the centre: under 1 km, 39; 1–3 km, 56; 3–10 km, 13; 10 km or more, 13.
Sources: climate from CRU TS v4.10 (Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia; Open Database License), 1991–2020 averages; day length calculated from the latitude; public holidays from python-holidays (MIT); places to stay from each operator's own public pages and Wikidata. How this guide is made.