Crete in May
Low confidence or an estimate means our weather data for this area is less certain, so treat the score as a guide. It is about our data, not about the weather changing.
How scores are madeMay figures
May scores
A score out of 100 for how pleasant the usual weather is for this kind of trip in this month. It is not a forecast.
How scores are made- 89/100GoodBeach
- 89/100GoodCity break
- 57/100MixedHiking
Crete in May, in words
In May, Crete is best for a beach holiday (89, Good) and a city break (89, Good); hiking scores 57 (Mixed).
The daytime high in May averages 27°C; through the year it runs from 16°C in January to 32°C in August. At 27°C, May reaches the 24°C mark that our warm-areas pages use. On average 4 rainy days fall in May (an estimate of days with 1 mm or more, from ERA5-Land); through the year the range is 1 to 12 rainy days. Sunshine averages 10 h a day in May (ERA5 direct sunlight), against a yearly range of 6 h to 12 h. The sea is about 20°C in May (ERA5, about 45 km offshore), 7°C cooler than the daytime air.
In May, Crete scores beach 89 (Good), city break 89 (Good) and hiking 57 (Mixed) out of 100. The beach score for Crete in May is based on daytime high, rainy days, humidity (dew point), cloud and wind, and does not include sea temperature. For a beach holiday, Crete ranks number 4 of the 29 areas we score for it in May, tied with 1 other area on 89. For a city break, Crete ranks number 12 of the 26 areas we score for it in May, tied with 3 other areas on 89. For hiking, Crete ranks number 9 of the 16 areas we score for it in May.
For beach, the score is climbing: 54 in April, 89 in May, 95 in June. For city break, the score is falling: 92 in April, 89 in May, 64 in June. For hiking, the score is falling: 89 in April, 57 in May, 34 in June. For beach, the best months are June, July, August and September; May is not one of them. For city break, the best months are April, May, October and November, and May is one of them. For hiking, the best months are March, April and November; May is not one of them.
Day temperatures from ERA5-Land, adjusted for altitude with a coastal-city correction; rainy days estimated from ERA5-Land (see How we score); sunshine from ERA5 direct sunlight; sea temperature from ERA5 about 45 km offshore. Averages for 2004–2023. These May figures for Crete are averages for 2004–2023, not a forecast for your dates. Medium confidence: a nearby weather station exists, but our corrected daytime highs do not agree closely with its records, so treat the daytime highs as approximate; the other figures rely on a general correction for this kind of area.
