Changeable and Wet
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during May 2024 in Shoreham was 18.4 Celsius (65F), and that was close to the long-term average. The average minimum temperature was 10.7 Celsius (51F), and that was close to 1.5 Celsius (<3F) above the May normal. Average night-time temperatures in May were the highest in the area for 16 years.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 25.1 Celsius (77F) on the 11th, but 24.3 Celsius (76F) occurred on the 12th, and a further 6 days had maxima above 20 Celsius (68F). All of these warmer days were sandwiched between the 7th and 20th. On many days (15) maxima ranged from 15 to 18 Celsius (59-64F), but 2 cooler days occurred. On the 2nd, the high for the day was 14.9 Celsius (59F), but the following day was cooler with a top temperature of just 14.4 Celsius (58F).
An above normal number of cloudy nights was responsible for keeping minimum temperatures well above average, although no individual records were broken. On the 12th, a minimum of 13.8 Celsius (57F) occurred, and 3 other nights, the 14th, 26th and 29th, had minimum temperatures above 13 Celsius (55F). A further 14 nights recorded lows between 11 and 13 Celsius (52-55F), with the majority of these milder nights occurring after mid-month. No particularly cool nights occurred during May, but the temperature fell below 10 Celsius (50F) on 10 nights. Only 3 of these cooler nights occurred after mid month, with the coolest of them, the 24th, having a low of 6.6 Celsius (44F). A minimum of 6.7 Celsius (44F) occurred on the 4th, with 7 out of the first 10 days of the month having minima below 10 Celsius (50F). The only other temperature below 7 Celsius (45F) occurred on the 5th, when 5.4 Celsius (42F) was recorded.
The sea temperature rose steadily from 12 Celsius (54F) at the beginning of the month, to 15 Celsius (59F) during the last week of May.
Frost
There were no frosts in May. The lowest grass temperature was 1.7 Celsius (35F) on the 5th.
Rain
Rainfall in May amounted to 68.8 millimetres (2.7 ins.), which was around 80% above the monthly average. It was the wettest May in the area for 10 years. Measurable rain fell on 15 days, which was 4 days above the average, and wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 11, which was also 4 days above the average. The opening week of the month had some heavy rain. On the 1st, there were 4.2 millimetres (0.17 ins.), and on the 5th and 6th there were 10.2 and 13.2 millimetres (0.40 and 0.52 ins.) respectively. This was followed by 6 dry days, but 7.0 millimetres occurred (0.27 ins.) occurred on the 13th, and although there were several dry days, further rain fell, with 8.2 millimetres (0.32 ins.) on the 16th, and 5.0 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 22nd. The 23rd and 24th were the last completely dry days of the month. On both the 25th and 27th, there were 5.0 millimetres (0.2 ins.) of rain, with 5.2 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 28th, and 3.4 millimetres (0.13 ins.) on the 30th.
Hail
No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham during the month.
Thunder
A series of intense thunderstorms affected the area in the early hours of the 2nd. The storms lasted for almost 2 hours, and although rainfall was only briefly heavy, lightning and thunder were almost continuous.
Snow
No sleet or snow was observed in Shoreham.
Wind
Winds were predominantly from between southwest and northwest, with winds from these quadrants accounting for over 60% of the daily observations. East or southeasterly winds blew on several days. Usually, these were precursors to rain-bearing Atlantic frontal systems. Overall, it was not a windy month, with the strongest breezes generally occurring during the first and last weeks of May. At Shoreham Airport, there was an isolated gust to 31 knots (35 mph) during the severe thunderstorm that occurred in the early hours of the 2nd, otherwise, the only gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) were on the afternoon and evening of the 28th. The southwesterly wind was at its strongest early in the afternoon when 32 knots (36 mph) were measured.
Fog
Early fog occurred on the 1st, with misty low cloud shrouding local hilltops on several occasions during the month.
Statistics for May 2024
| Reporting Site | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham A/P | 22.7 | 4.0 | 85 | 21 | 15 |
| Thorney Island | 23.2 | 5.9 | 107 | 36 | 15 |
| Gatwick A/P | 26.9 | 2.6 | 104 | 41 | 16 |
| Herstmonceux | 25.9 | 3.4 | 122 | 34 | 17 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 23.6 | 2.3 | 137 | 29 | 17 |
| Middle Wallop | 25.5 | 3.2 | 108 | 25 | 14 |
| Dieppe | 22.7 | 5.6 | 73 | 13 | 22 |
- Rainfall totals unreliable for all English stations