Big Bear Lake weather in May: Big Bear Lake, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Big Bear Lake in May has a normal high of 66°F and a normal low of 37°F, a daily mean of 52°F, rising from 61°F on the 1st to 71°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 2 days in a normal May, 0.42 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 19°C and low of 3°C, 11 mm of precipitation and 2 cm of snow in May.
- NOAA stationBig Bear Lake
- Station IDUSC00040741
- Location34.24°N 116.92°W
- Elevation6,753 ft (2,058 m)
- Population5,044
- Jan 46° 24°
- Feb 46° 24°
- Mar 51° 27°
- Apr 57° 31°
- May 66° 37°
- Jun 75° 44°
- Jul 80° 51°
- Aug 79° 50°
- Sep 73° 44°
- Oct 63° 35°
- Nov 54° 28°
- Dec 46° 24°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Big Bear Lake in May?
The normal high is 66°F and the normal low 37°F, for a daily mean of 51.5°F. May is 7.3°F warmer than April and 7.8°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Big Bear Lake and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 10°F, from 61°F on May 1 to 71°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 48°F and 55°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 10%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 61°F | 34°F | 10% | 5% |
| May 8 | 63°F | 36°F | 8% | 4% |
| May 15 | 65°F | 37°F | 7% | 3% |
| May 22 | 68°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% |
| May 31 | 71°F | 40°F | 4% | 2% |
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 61°F | 34°F | 10% | 5% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 61°F | 34°F | 9% | 5% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 3 | 62°F | 35°F | 9% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 62°F | 35°F | 9% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 62°F | 35°F | 9% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 62°F | 35°F | 9% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 63°F | 36°F | 8% | 4% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 8 | 63°F | 36°F | 8% | 4% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 9 | 63°F | 36°F | 8% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 64°F | 36°F | 8% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 64°F | 36°F | 8% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 64°F | 37°F | 7% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 65°F | 37°F | 7% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 14 | 65°F | 37°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 15 | 65°F | 37°F | 7% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 66°F | 37°F | 7% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 66°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 67°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 67°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 20 | 67°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 21 | 68°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 22 | 68°F | 38°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 68°F | 39°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 69°F | 39°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 69°F | 39°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 69°F | 39°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 70°F | 39°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 28 | 70°F | 39°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 70°F | 40°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 30 | 71°F | 40°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 31 | 71°F | 40°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 66°FMay average
- Normal low
- 37°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.42 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 20.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.6 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 8
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 14
- Days at 80°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 95%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00040741; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Big Bear Lake in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 7% on average, highest around May 1 (10%). In all, 0.42 in falls on 2 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in Big Bear Lake, 8 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 0.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00040741.
What are the records for May in Big Bear Lake?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1960) is 87°F, on May 28, 2003; the coldest is 18°F, on May 8, 1964. The wettest May brought 3.86 in (1977); the snowiest, 7.9 inches (1998).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 51.5°F: 2021 52.9°F (+1.4), 2022 53.5°F (+2.0), 2023 50.5°F (−1.0), 2024 52.1°F (+0.6), 2025 52.1°F (+0.6), 2026 51.8°F (+0.3). 5 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.9°F | +1.4°F | 0.00 in |
| 2022 | 53.5°F | +2.0°F | 0.00 in |
| 2023 | 50.5°F | −1.0°F | 0.39 in |
| 2024 | 52.1°F | +0.6°F | 0.36 in |
| 2025 | 52.1°F | +0.6°F | 0.71 in |
| 2026 | 51.8°F | +0.3°F | 0.00 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00040741; recent months: ACIS, station USC00040741. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Big Bear Lake compare across California?
Across the 219 places PlainClimate covers in California, May normal highs run from 58°F in Tahoma to 96°F in Needles; Big Bear Lake's is 66°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.