May is one of the warmer months of the year in Athens, with average highs near 27.3°C and lows around 14.6°C (mean 21°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 93 mm of rainfall and 75% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Athens. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Athens was 2004 — when the month averaged 23.5°C — while the coldest were 1989 and 1997 at 18.2°C. Typical May days reach 27.3°C with nights near 14.6°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
May is one of the drier months in Athens, averaging 93 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 2003 with 207 mm, while the driest was 2007 at 33 mm.
Relative humidity in Athens during May averages 75%. The most humid May was 2009 at 84%, and the least humid was 2007 at 61%.
May receives about 6.1 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Athens. The sunniest May was 2011 at 6.9 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 2003 at 4.9.
Average wind speed in Athens during May is 0.1 m/s. The windiest Mays were 2011, 2015 and 2024, among others at 0.2 m/s, while the calmest were 2022, 2023 and 2025, among others at 0.1 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 20.2°C | 20.4°C | 21.3°C | 21.7°C | 20.9°C | +0.7°C |
| Avg High | 26.9°C | 26.6°C | 28.0°C | 27.9°C | 26.8°C | -0.1°C |
| Avg Low | 13.6°C | 14.3°C | 14.6°C | 15.5°C | 15.0°C | +1.4°C |
| Avg Rain | 88 mm | 89 mm | 83 mm | 106 mm | 105 mm | +17 mm |
May temperatures in Athens have risen by about 1.2°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of 2.3°C (1992) to a record high of 36.1°C (2006).
Rainfall in May is one of the drier months, averaging 93 mm, with a wettest year of 207 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs rose about 0.2°C per decade while lows rose 0.5°C per decade, narrowing the gap between day and night.
One of the best times to visit Athens
May is one of the best times to visit Athens. Expect days averaging 27.3°C and nights around 14.6°C (mean 21°C) — warmer than Athens's yearly average — with higher rainfall (93 mm), so conditions are generally comfortable for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26.9°C | 21.5°C | 16.1°C | 32.4°C | 10.2°C | 176 mm | 79% | 0.1 m/s | 5.2 |
| 2024 | 27.8°C | 22.4°C | 17.0°C | 32.2°C | 11.0°C | 107 mm | 80% | 0.2 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 25.0°C | 19.6°C | 14.2°C | 32.8°C | 5.0°C | 72 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2022 | 29.3°C | 22.6°C | 15.8°C | 34.6°C | 8.8°C | 70 mm | 71% | 0.1 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2021 | 26.7°C | 20.2°C | 13.7°C | 34.1°C | 6.0°C | 96 mm | 74% | 0.1 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2020 | 25.2°C | 19.3°C | 13.4°C | 31.7°C | 5.1°C | 110 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2019 | 29.7°C | 23.4°C | 17.1°C | 35.1°C | 8.9°C | 58 mm | 76% | 0.1 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2018 | 28.3°C | 22.6°C | 17.0°C | 35.3°C | 9.9°C | 196 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2017 | 27.7°C | 21.4°C | 15.0°C | 35.1°C | 7.3°C | 146 mm | 74% | 0.1 m/s | 6.1 |
| 2016 | 26.6°C | 20.5°C | 14.4°C | 32.8°C | 6.9°C | 81 mm | 78% | 0.1 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2015 | 28.5°C | 22.0°C | 15.5°C | 33.3°C | 7.9°C | 59 mm | 76% | 0.2 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2014 | 27.0°C | 21.1°C | 15.2°C | 32.4°C | 8.3°C | 100 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2013 | 24.9°C | 19.1°C | 13.4°C | 30.5°C | 5.8°C | 145 mm | 81% | 0.1 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2012 | 29.3°C | 22.9°C | 16.6°C | 35.5°C | 10.4°C | 90 mm | 72% | 0.1 m/s | 6.1 |
| 2011 | 28.5°C | 21.5°C | 14.5°C | 36.0°C | 3.9°C | 45 mm | 71% | 0.2 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2010 | 28.1°C | 22.4°C | 16.7°C | 32.1°C | 8.5°C | 137 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2009 | 25.7°C | 20.8°C | 15.9°C | 31.1°C | 6.4°C | 127 mm | 84% | 0.1 m/s | 5.1 |
| 2008 | 27.5°C | 20.5°C | 13.5°C | 34.0°C | 7.9°C | 70 mm | 72% | 0.1 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2007 | 29.7°C | 21.8°C | 13.9°C | 33.9°C | 7.5°C | 33 mm | 61% | 0.1 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2006 | 27.9°C | 21.1°C | 14.2°C | 36.1°C | 8.2°C | 55 mm | 69% | 0.1 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2005 | 25.4°C | 19.1°C | 12.8°C | 31.9°C | 5.8°C | 56 mm | 77% | 0.1 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2004 🔥 | 30.7°C | 23.5°C | 16.3°C | 35.4°C | 4.4°C | 77 mm | 67% | 0.1 m/s | 6.1 |
| 2003 🌧️ | 26.1°C | 21.1°C | 16.1°C | 30.4°C | 10.1°C | 207 mm | 84% | 0.1 m/s | 4.9 |
| 2002 | 27.9°C | 20.8°C | 13.6°C | 32.7°C | 5.7°C | 84 mm | 69% | 0.2 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2001 | 28.1°C | 21.2°C | 14.2°C | 33.5°C | 8.5°C | 85 mm | 71% | 0.2 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2000 | 31.1°C | 23.3°C | 15.5°C | 35.6°C | 8.3°C | 35 mm | 62% | 0.1 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1999 | 27.9°C | 20.7°C | 13.5°C | 31.9°C | 6.2°C | 71 mm | 68% | 0.1 m/s | 6.4 |
| 1998 | 28.7°C | 22.7°C | 16.8°C | 32.4°C | 9.6°C | 92 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1997 | 24.7°C | 18.2°C | 11.7°C | 29.2°C | 5.3°C | 104 mm | 77% | 0.1 m/s | 6 |
| 1996 | 27.3°C | 21.4°C | 15.5°C | 32.5°C | 4.3°C | 76 mm | 81% | 0.1 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1995 | 27.7°C | 21.3°C | 15.0°C | 33.2°C | 6.6°C | 77 mm | 76% | 0.1 m/s | 5.9 |
| 1994 | 25.6°C | 19.2°C | 12.8°C | 31.4°C | 8.5°C | 61 mm | 75% | 0.1 m/s | 6.4 |
| 1993 | 25.7°C | 19.9°C | 14.2°C | 30.3°C | 7.7°C | 104 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 5.9 |
| 1992 | 25.0°C | 18.7°C | 12.4°C | 30.4°C | 2.3°C | 54 mm | 76% | 0.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1991 | 27.8°C | 22.6°C | 17.3°C | 33.8°C | 10.0°C | 153 mm | 83% | 0.1 m/s | 5 |
| 1990 | 25.7°C | 19.6°C | 13.6°C | 30.6°C | 6.7°C | 96 mm | 78% | 0.2 m/s | 6 |
| 1989 ❄️ | 24.7°C | 18.2°C | 11.8°C | 33.2°C | 2.5°C | 102 mm | 78% | 0.1 m/s | 6 |
| 1988 | 27.5°C | 20.0°C | 12.5°C | 35.1°C | 7.5°C | 33 mm | 65% | 0.2 m/s | 6.3 |
| 1987 | 27.4°C | 21.8°C | 16.2°C | 31.1°C | 9.6°C | 63 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1986 | 29.3°C | 21.9°C | 14.5°C | 34.2°C | 6.0°C | 87 mm | 64% | 0.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1985 | 27.1°C | 20.4°C | 13.7°C | 34.0°C | 7.0°C | 100 mm | 71% | 0.2 m/s | 5.9 |
| 1984 | 25.4°C | 19.2°C | 13.0°C | 29.7°C | 5.7°C | 138 mm | 79% | 0.1 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1983 | 25.2°C | 19.1°C | 13.1°C | 28.5°C | 6.6°C | 91 mm | 79% | 0.1 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 27.7°C | 21.6°C | 15.5°C | 30.9°C | 6.0°C | 83 mm | 78% | 0.2 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 27.8°C | 20.0°C | 12.1°C | 33.3°C | 6.6°C | 99 mm | 64% | 0.1 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 27.3°C with lows near 14.6°C (mean 21°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 93 mm of rainfall in Athens, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 207 mm in 2003.
The hottest May reached 36.1°C in 2006. The coldest dipped to 2.3°C in 1992.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.2°C. Daytime highs moved from 26.6°C to 27.1°C and overnight lows from 13.5°C to 15.4°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Athens and one of the drier months, so plan for around 27.3°C daytime highs and 14.6°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Athens, averaging 21°C.
For May in Athens, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 27.3°C and lows of 14.6°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in May averages 75% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 0.1 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 0.2 m/s (1982).
The wettest May on record was 2003 with 207 mm. On average, May sees 93 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Athens behaves each May, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for May specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
