Ketchikan weather in May: Ketchikan, Alaska: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Ketchikan in May has a normal high of 57°F and a normal low of 43°F, a daily mean of 50°F, rising from 54°F on the 1st to 60°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 16 days in a normal May, 8.68 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 14°C and low of 6°C, 220 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationKetchikan International Airport
- Station IDUSW00025325
- Location55.36°N 131.71°W
- Elevation76 ft (23 m)
- Population8,033
- Jan 40° 32°
- Feb 41° 32°
- Mar 44° 32°
- Apr 50° 37°
- May 57° 43°
- Jun 61° 49°
- Jul 65° 53°
- Aug 65° 53°
- Sep 59° 48°
- Oct 51° 41°
- Nov 44° 36°
- Dec 40° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Ketchikan in May?
The normal high is 57°F and the normal low 43°F, for a daily mean of 50.1°F. May is 6.6°F warmer than April and 5.2°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Ketchikan and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 54°F on May 1 to 60°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.5°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 48°F and 53°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 58%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 54°F | 40°F | 58% | 42% |
| May 8 | 55°F | 42°F | 55% | 39% |
| May 15 | 57°F | 43°F | 53% | 38% |
| May 22 | 58°F | 45°F | 53% | 37% |
| May 31 | 60°F | 47°F | 53% | 36% |
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 | 54°F | 40°F | 58% | 42% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 2 | 54°F | 40°F | 57% | 41% | 15 h 20 min |
| May 3 | 54°F | 40°F | 57% | 41% | 15 h 20 min |
| May 4 | 54°F | 41°F | 56% | 41% | 15 h 30 min |
| May 5 | 54°F | 41°F | 56% | 40% | 15 h 30 min |
| May 6 | 55°F | 41°F | 55% | 40% | 15 h 30 min |
| May 7 | 55°F | 41°F | 55% | 40% | 15 h 40 min |
| May 8 | 55°F | 42°F | 55% | 39% | 15 h 40 min |
| May 9 | 55°F | 42°F | 54% | 39% | 15 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 56°F | 42°F | 54% | 39% | 15 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 56°F | 42°F | 54% | 39% | 15 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 56°F | 42°F | 54% | 39% | 16 h |
| May 13 | 56°F | 43°F | 54% | 38% | 16 h |
| May 14 | 57°F | 43°F | 53% | 38% | 16 h |
| May 15 | 57°F | 43°F | 53% | 38% | 16 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 57°F | 43°F | 53% | 38% | 16 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 57°F | 44°F | 53% | 38% | 16 h 20 min |
| May 18 | 58°F | 44°F | 53% | 38% | 16 h 20 min |
| May 19 | 58°F | 44°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 20 min |
| May 20 | 58°F | 44°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 30 min |
| May 21 | 58°F | 44°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 30 min |
| May 22 | 58°F | 45°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 30 min |
| May 23 | 59°F | 45°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 40 min |
| May 24 | 59°F | 45°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 40 min |
| May 25 | 59°F | 45°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 40 min |
| May 26 | 59°F | 46°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 50 min |
| May 27 | 59°F | 46°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 50 min |
| May 28 | 59°F | 46°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 50 min |
| May 29 | 60°F | 46°F | 53% | 37% | 16 h 50 min |
| May 30 | 60°F | 47°F | 53% | 37% | 17 h |
| May 31 | 60°F | 47°F | 53% | 36% | 17 h |
- Normal high
- 57°FMay average
- Normal low
- 43°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 8.68 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 160.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 15 h 10 min to 17 hMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 59%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00025325; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Ketchikan in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 54% on average, highest around May 1 (58%). In all, 8.68 in falls on 16 days of a normal May, 3 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Ketchikan, 1 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00025325.
How humid and windy is Ketchikan in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 57°F with 65% relative humidity and a dew point of 46°F; at 6 a.m. it is 51°F with 85% humidity. The wind averages 8.3 mph, most often from the southeast in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 51°F | 46°F | 85% | 7.4 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 54°F | 46°F | 75% | 9.9 mph | – |
| noon | 57°F | 46°F | 68% | 10.9 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 57°F | 46°F | 65% | 10.8 mph | 29% |
| 6 p.m. | 56°F | 46°F | 69% | 9.1 mph | 32% |
| 9 p.m. | 51°F | 46°F | 82% | 6.9 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00025325. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for May in Ketchikan?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1910) is 93°F, on May 13, 1912; the coldest is 25°F, on May 6, 1913. The wettest May brought 25.58 in (2025); the snowiest, 10.8 inches (1920).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 50.1°F: 2021 49.0°F (−1.1), 2022 48.3°F (−1.8), 2023 53.2°F (+3.1), 2024 48.9°F (−1.2), 2025 48.8°F (−1.3), 2026 49.1°F (−1.0). 1 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.0°F | −1.1°F | 6.38 in |
| 2022 | 48.3°F | −1.8°F | 10.00 in |
| 2023 | 53.2°F | +3.1°F | 6.20 in |
| 2024 | 48.9°F | −1.2°F | 10.74 in |
| 2025 | 48.8°F | −1.3°F | 25.58 in |
| 2026 | 49.1°F | −1.0°F | 5.02 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00025325; recent months: ACIS, station USW00025325. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Ketchikan compare across Alaska?
Across the 85 places PlainClimate covers in Alaska, May normal highs run from 27°F in Utqiaġvik to 65°F in Two Rivers; Ketchikan's is 57°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.