Istanbul weather in May
In May, Istanbul has daytime highs averaging 20 °C, nights around 13 °C, with 6.3 wet days, and a sea temperature of 16 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 20.0°C Average high
- 13.5°C Average low
- 6.3days Wet days
- 36mm Rainfall
- 16.0°C Sea temperature
- 14h Daylight
Daily temperatures through May
How May develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 May | 18.1 °C | 11.6 °C | 23 % |
| 11–20 May | 20.1 °C | 13.4 °C | 16 % |
| 21–31 May | 21.6 °C | 15.2 °C | 21 % |
- Average highs rise from 18.1 °C early in May to 21.6 °C by the end of it.
- Rain is most likely over days 1–10 of May (23 % of days) and least likely over days 11–20 (16 %).
What to expect
| Measure | Typical May | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 1.6 of 31 | 5 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0.03 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 6.3 of 31 | 20 % |
Conditions in May
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 17 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 31 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | 5.0 °C |
| Relative humidity | 76 % |
| Wind speed | 19 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 45 % |
May compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 11.0 °C | 72 mm | 59 % |
| April | 15.1 °C | 47 mm | 53 % |
| May | 20.0 °C | 36 mm | 45 % |
| June | 24.9 °C | 34 mm | 30 % |
| July | 27.6 °C | 20 mm | 19 % |
See all twelve months for Istanbul
- May is the 5th warmest month here.
- It is the 4th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 5th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 14 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 6.3 of 31 days — 20 % of the month.
- Nights are about 6.5 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest May day on record since 1991 reached 31 °C, 11 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 46 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in May
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul | 20 °C | 6.3 | 16 |
| Bağcılar | 20 °C | 6 | 16 |
| Esenyurt | 19 °C | 6 | 16 |
| Arnavutköy | 20 °C | 6 | 16 |
| Gebze | 20 °C | 7 | 16 |
| İzmit | 22 °C | 10 | – |
| Bursa | 23 °C | 10 | 16 |
| Çorlu | 22 °C | 8 | – |
QuestionsMay in Istanbul, answered
How warm is Istanbul in May?
Daily highs average 20 °C and nights fall to about 13 °C, a spread of 6.5 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes May the 5th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Istanbul in May?
May averages 36 mm of rain, spread over about 6 of the 31 days — 20 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 45 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in May?
The sea averages 16 °C off Istanbul in May. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in May?
Istanbul averages 14 hours between sunrise and sunset in May. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.