Palo Alto weather in May: Palo Alto, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Palo Alto in May has a normal high of 73°F and a normal low of 50°F, a daily mean of 61°F, rising from 71°F on the 1st to 76°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 3 days in a normal May, 0.44 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 23°C and low of 10°C, 11 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationPalo Alto
- Station IDUSC00046646
- Location37.44°N 122.14°W
- Elevation25 ft (8 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population67,658
- Jan 58° 39°
- Feb 61° 41°
- Mar 66° 44°
- Apr 70° 45°
- May 73° 50°
- Jun 79° 53°
- Jul 79° 56°
- Aug 79° 55°
- Sep 80° 53°
- Oct 74° 48°
- Nov 64° 43°
- Dec 58° 39°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Palo Alto in May?
The normal high is 73°F and the normal low 50°F, for a daily mean of 61.4°F. May is 4.0°F warmer than April and 4.2°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Palo Alto and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 5°F, from 71°F on May 1 to 76°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 59°F and 64°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 13%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 71°F | 47°F | 13% | 8% |
| May 8 | 72°F | 49°F | 10% | 6% |
| May 15 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 5% |
| May 22 | 74°F | 50°F | 6% | 4% |
| May 31 | 76°F | 51°F | 4% | 3% |
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 | 71°F | 47°F | 13% | 8% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 71°F | 48°F | 12% | 7% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 72°F | 48°F | 12% | 7% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 4 | 72°F | 48°F | 12% | 7% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 72°F | 48°F | 11% | 7% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 72°F | 48°F | 11% | 7% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 72°F | 48°F | 11% | 6% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 72°F | 49°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h |
| May 9 | 72°F | 49°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 72°F | 49°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 73°F | 49°F | 9% | 6% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 73°F | 49°F | 9% | 6% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 73°F | 49°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 14 | 73°F | 49°F | 8% | 5% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 15 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 5% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 5% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 5% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 74°F | 50°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 19 | 74°F | 50°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 20 | 74°F | 50°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 21 | 74°F | 50°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 74°F | 50°F | 6% | 4% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 74°F | 51°F | 6% | 4% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 75°F | 51°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 25 | 75°F | 51°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 26 | 75°F | 51°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 27 | 75°F | 51°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 28 | 75°F | 51°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 29 | 75°F | 51°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 76°F | 51°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 31 | 76°F | 51°F | 4% | 3% | 14 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 73°FMay average
- Normal low
- 50°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.44 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 30.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 30 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 22
- Days at 80°F or more
- 6
- Sunshine
- 81%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00046646; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Palo Alto in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 8% on average, highest around May 1 (13%). In all, 0.44 in falls on 3 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in Palo Alto, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00046646.
What are the records for May in Palo Alto?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1953) is 100°F, on May 13, 1976; the coldest is 33°F, on May 6, 1977. The wettest May brought 2.49 in (1998).
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00046646. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Palo Alto 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; Palo Alto's is 73°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.