Salinas weather in May: Salinas, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Salinas in May has a normal high of 68°F and a normal low of 50°F, a daily mean of 59°F, rising from 68°F on the 1st to 69°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 3 days in a normal May, 0.38 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 20°C and low of 10°C, 10 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSalinas Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00023233
- Location36.66°N 121.61°W
- Elevation74 ft (23 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population160,783
- Jan 62° 42°
- Feb 63° 43°
- Mar 66° 45°
- Apr 67° 46°
- May 68° 50°
- Jun 70° 53°
- Jul 71° 55°
- Aug 72° 56°
- Sep 74° 54°
- Oct 74° 50°
- Nov 68° 44°
- Dec 62° 41°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Salinas in May?
The normal high is 68°F and the normal low 50°F, for a daily mean of 59.3°F. May is 2.6°F warmer than April and 2.3°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in Salinas and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 1°F, from 68°F on May 1 to 69°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 57°F and 61°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 | 68°F | 48°F | 13% | 6% |
| May 8 | 68°F | 49°F | 11% | 5% |
| May 15 | 68°F | 50°F | 10% | 4% |
| May 22 | 69°F | 51°F | 8% | 3% |
| May 31 | 69°F | 52°F | 7% | 2% |
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 30, coldest night May 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 68°F | 48°F | 13% | 6% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 68°F | 48°F | 13% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 68°F | 49°F | 13% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 68°F | 49°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 68°F | 49°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 68°F | 49°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 68°F | 49°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 68°F | 49°F | 11% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 68°F | 50°F | 11% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 68°F | 50°F | 11% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 68°F | 50°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 68°F | 50°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 68°F | 50°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 68°F | 50°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 68°F | 50°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 68°F | 50°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 68°F | 51°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 68°F | 51°F | 9% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 19 | 68°F | 51°F | 9% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 69°F | 51°F | 9% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 69°F | 51°F | 9% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 69°F | 51°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 69°F | 51°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 69°F | 51°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 25 | 69°F | 51°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 26 | 69°F | 52°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 69°F | 52°F | 7% | 3% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 69°F | 52°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 69°F | 52°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 69°F | 52°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 31 | 69°F | 52°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 68°FMay average
- Normal low
- 50°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.38 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
- 10
- Days at 80°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 88%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023233; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Salinas in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 10% on average, highest around May 1 (13%). In all, 0.38 in falls on 3 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in Salinas, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023233.
What are the records for May in Salinas?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1930) is 99°F, on May 12, 1976; the coldest is 34°F, on May 8, 1933. The wettest May brought 2.32 in (1957).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 59.3°F: 2021 58.9°F (−0.4), 2022 60.5°F (+1.2), 2023 60.4°F (+1.1), 2024 58.1°F (−1.1), 2025 59.2°F (−0.1), 2026 59.5°F (+0.2). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58.9°F | −0.4°F | 0.01 in |
| 2022 | 60.5°F | +1.2°F | 0.00 in |
| 2023 | 60.4°F | +1.1°F | 0.15 in |
| 2024 | 58.1°F | −1.1°F | 0.74 in |
| 2025 | 59.2°F | −0.1°F | 0.09 in |
| 2026 | 59.5°F | +0.2°F | 0.42 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023233; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023233. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Salinas 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; Salinas's is 68°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.