Weather in Longyearbyen in May 2025
Average weather
Average temperature in Longyearbyen in May
The expected average maximum temperature in May is -1°C with a maximum of +5°C and a minimum of -15°C.
The average maximum temperature goes up 80% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from -13°C to +3°C.
Is Longyearbyen warm or cold in May?
Longyearbyen is typically cold in May.
Maximum temperatures go up compared to the previous month from -8°C to -1°C. The minimum temperature also goes up from -13°C to -5°C.
Wear your winter warms as it will be cold. To save space, layer, and don’t forget gloves and a scarf.
Take a look at how May is compared to other months in Longyearbyen:
Climate in Longyearbyen in May
| April | May | June | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| -8°C | -1°C | +4°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -32°C | -18°C | -6°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +6°C | +9°C | +12°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 1 mm | 4 mm | 13 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 80% | 80% | 84% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1013 HPa | 1016 HPa | 1012 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 18 | 20 | 19 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 0 | 1 | 6 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 11 | 9 | 4 | ||||
May weather is still as ok as in April. It’s getting warmer as May arrives. The average maximum temperature goes up from -8°C to -1°C during the day. Prepare for more rain. Average rainfall goes from 1 mm to 4 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 80%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during May, staying around 3 m/s. The good news is there are likely to be more sunny days in May, from 1 to 2.
June brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 8 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Longyearbyen is gradually increasing during May, going from 3 m/s to 4 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
Here’s how May is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last May in Longyearbyen?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Longyearbyen in May has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1988 (-7°C) and the highest in 2016 (+1°C). The driest year was 1998 with only 51 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2016 with 381 mm.
FAQ
Is May a good time to visit Longyearbyen?
Can you sunbathe in Longyearbyen in May?
Is Longyearbyen rainy in May?
Is it sunny in Longyearbyen in May?
Monthly weather in Longyearbyen
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Longyearbyen, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.