Riverside weather in May: Riverside, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Riverside in May has a normal high of 80°F and a normal low of 55°F, a daily mean of 68°F, rising from 78°F on the 1st to 83°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 2 days in a normal May, 0.20 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 27°C and low of 13°C, 5 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationRiverside Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00003171
- Location33.95°N 117.44°W
- Elevation805 ft (245 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population323,757
- Jan 68° 44°
- Feb 68° 45°
- Mar 72° 47°
- Apr 76° 50°
- May 80° 55°
- Jun 87° 59°
- Jul 93° 64°
- Aug 95° 65°
- Sep 91° 62°
- Oct 83° 55°
- Nov 75° 47°
- Dec 67° 43°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Riverside in May?
The normal high is 80°F and the normal low 55°F, for a daily mean of 67.6°F. May is 4.7°F warmer than April and 5.4°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in Riverside and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 5°F, from 78°F on May 1 to 83°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 65°F and 71°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 9%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 78°F | 53°F | 9% | 3% |
| May 8 | 79°F | 54°F | 7% | 3% |
| May 15 | 80°F | 55°F | 6% | 2% |
| May 22 | 81°F | 56°F | 4% | 1% |
| May 31 | 83°F | 57°F | 2% | 1% |
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 | 78°F | 53°F | 9% | 3% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 78°F | 53°F | 9% | 3% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 3 | 78°F | 53°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 4 | 78°F | 53°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 78°F | 54°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 78°F | 54°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 79°F | 54°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 8 | 79°F | 54°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 9 | 79°F | 54°F | 7% | 2% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 10 | 79°F | 55°F | 7% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 79°F | 55°F | 6% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 79°F | 55°F | 6% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 79°F | 55°F | 6% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 14 | 80°F | 55°F | 6% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 15 | 80°F | 55°F | 6% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 16 | 80°F | 56°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 80°F | 56°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 80°F | 56°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 80°F | 56°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 20 | 80°F | 56°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 21 | 81°F | 56°F | 4% | 1% | 14 h |
| May 22 | 81°F | 56°F | 4% | 1% | 14 h |
| May 23 | 81°F | 56°F | 4% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 81°F | 57°F | 4% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 81°F | 57°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 81°F | 57°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 82°F | 57°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 28 | 82°F | 57°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 82°F | 57°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 30 | 82°F | 57°F | 2% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 31 | 83°F | 57°F | 2% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 80°FMay average
- Normal low
- 55°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.20 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 20.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min to 14 h 10 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 28
- Days at 80°F or more
- 16
- Sunshine
- 83%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00003171; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Riverside in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 5% on average, highest around May 1 (9%). In all, 0.20 in falls on 2 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in Riverside, 6 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00003171.
What are the records for May in Riverside?
The warmest May temperature on Riverside's official record (since 1893) is 110°F, on May 29, 1984; the coldest is 33°F, on May 1, 1915. The wettest May brought 3.13 in (1930).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 67.6°F: 2021 67.5°F (at normal), 2022 68.0°F (+0.4), 2023 64.9°F (−2.7), 2024 65.2°F (−2.4), 2025 69.5°F (+1.9), 2026 68.1°F (+0.5). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 67.5°F | at normal | 0.00 in |
| 2022 | 68.0°F | +0.4°F | 0.00 in |
| 2023 | 64.9°F | −2.7°F | 0.47 in |
| 2024 | 65.2°F | −2.4°F | 0.12 in |
| 2025 | 69.5°F | +1.9°F | 0.48 in |
| 2026 | 68.1°F | +0.5°F | 0.11 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record RALthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00003171. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Riverside 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; Riverside's is 80°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.