San Diego weather in May: San Diego, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
San Diego in May has a normal high of 70°F and a normal low of 60°F, a daily mean of 65°F, holding near 70°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 2 days in a normal May, 0.28 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 21°C and low of 16°C, 7 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSan Diego Lindbergh Field
- Station IDUSW00023188
- Location32.73°N 117.18°W
- Elevation15 ft (5 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population1,404,452
- Jan 66° 50°
- Feb 66° 52°
- Mar 67° 55°
- Apr 69° 57°
- May 70° 60°
- Jun 72° 63°
- Jul 75° 66°
- Aug 77° 68°
- Sep 77° 66°
- Oct 75° 62°
- Nov 71° 55°
- Dec 66° 50°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Diego in May?
The normal high is 70°F and the normal low 60°F, for a daily mean of 64.8°F. May is 1.9°F warmer than April and 2.4°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in San Diego and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 1°F, from 69°F on May 1 to 70°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.4°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 62°F and 67°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 | 69°F | 59°F | 10% | 4% |
| May 8 | 70°F | 59°F | 8% | 3% |
| May 15 | 69°F | 60°F | 7% | 2% |
| May 22 | 70°F | 61°F | 6% | 2% |
| May 31 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 1% |
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 | 69°F | 59°F | 10% | 4% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 69°F | 59°F | 9% | 4% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 3 | 69°F | 59°F | 9% | 4% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 4 | 70°F | 59°F | 9% | 4% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 5 | 70°F | 59°F | 9% | 4% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 6 | 70°F | 59°F | 9% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 70°F | 59°F | 9% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 8 | 70°F | 59°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 9 | 70°F | 60°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 10 | 69°F | 60°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 11 | 69°F | 60°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 12 | 69°F | 60°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 13 | 69°F | 60°F | 8% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 14 | 69°F | 60°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 15 | 69°F | 60°F | 7% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 16 | 69°F | 60°F | 7% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 17 | 69°F | 60°F | 7% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 18 | 69°F | 60°F | 7% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 19 | 69°F | 60°F | 6% | 2% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 20 | 69°F | 60°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 21 | 70°F | 60°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 22 | 70°F | 61°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 23 | 70°F | 61°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 24 | 70°F | 61°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 25 | 70°F | 61°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 26 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 27 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 1% | 14 h |
| May 28 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 30 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 31 | 70°F | 61°F | 5% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 70°FMay average
- Normal low
- 60°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.28 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 20.01 inch or more
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min to 14 h 10 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 12
- Days at 80°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 74%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023188; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Diego 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, 0.28 in falls on 2 days of a normal May.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023188.
How humid and windy is San Diego in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 67°F with 64% relative humidity and a dew point of 55°F; at 6 a.m. it is 62°F with 77% humidity. The wind averages 7.1 mph, most often from the west in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 62°F | 55°F | 77% | 4.9 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 65°F | 55°F | 70% | 7.3 mph | – |
| noon | 68°F | 55°F | 64% | 10.4 mph | 48% |
| 3 p.m. | 67°F | 55°F | 64% | 10.4 mph | 44% |
| 6 p.m. | 65°F | 55°F | 71% | 8.3 mph | 34% |
| 9 p.m. | 63°F | 56°F | 76% | 5.8 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023188. 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 San Diego?
The warmest May temperature on San Diego's official record (since 1874) is 98°F, on May 25, 1896; the coldest is 45°F, on May 2, 1883. The wettest May brought 2.54 in (1921).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 64.8°F: 2021 64.8°F (at normal), 2022 62.3°F (−2.5), 2023 62.5°F (−2.3), 2024 63.2°F (−1.6), 2025 65.2°F (+0.4), 2026 65.2°F (+0.4). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64.8°F | at normal | 0.07 in |
| 2022 | 62.3°F | −2.5°F | 0.02 in |
| 2023 | 62.5°F | −2.3°F | 0.09 in |
| 2024 | 63.2°F | −1.6°F | 0.07 in |
| 2025 | 65.2°F | +0.4°F | 0.15 in |
| 2026 | 65.2°F | +0.4°F | 0.24 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record SANthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023188. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in San Diego 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; San Diego's is 70°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.