San Francisco weather in May: San Francisco, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
San Francisco in May has a normal high of 64°F and a normal low of 51°F, a daily mean of 58°F, rising from 63°F on the 1st to 65°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 4 days in a normal May, 0.70 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 18°C and low of 11°C, 18 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSan Francisco Downtown
- Station IDUSW00023272
- Location37.77°N 122.43°W
- Elevation150 ft (46 m)
- Population827,526
- Jan 58° 47°
- Feb 60° 48°
- Mar 62° 49°
- Apr 63° 50°
- May 64° 51°
- Jun 67° 53°
- Jul 66° 54°
- Aug 68° 56°
- Sep 70° 56°
- Oct 70° 54°
- Nov 64° 51°
- Dec 58° 47°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Francisco in May?
The normal high is 64°F and the normal low 51°F, for a daily mean of 57.8°F. May is 1.4°F warmer than April and 1.9°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in San Francisco and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 2°F, from 63°F on May 1 to 65°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 1.9°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 56°F and 60°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 17%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 63°F | 50°F | 17% | 9% |
| May 8 | 64°F | 51°F | 14% | 8% |
| May 15 | 64°F | 51°F | 13% | 7% |
| May 22 | 64°F | 52°F | 11% | 6% |
| May 31 | 65°F | 52°F | 9% | 4% |
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 | 63°F | 50°F | 17% | 9% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 63°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 3 | 63°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 4 | 63°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 63°F | 51°F | 15% | 9% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 64°F | 51°F | 15% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 64°F | 51°F | 15% | 8% | 14 h |
| May 8 | 64°F | 51°F | 14% | 8% | 14 h |
| May 9 | 64°F | 51°F | 14% | 8% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 64°F | 51°F | 14% | 8% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 64°F | 51°F | 14% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 64°F | 51°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 13 | 64°F | 51°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 14 | 64°F | 51°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 15 | 64°F | 51°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 64°F | 51°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 64°F | 52°F | 12% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 64°F | 52°F | 12% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 19 | 64°F | 52°F | 12% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 20 | 64°F | 52°F | 12% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 21 | 64°F | 52°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 64°F | 52°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 65°F | 52°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 65°F | 52°F | 11% | 5% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 25 | 65°F | 52°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 26 | 65°F | 52°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 27 | 65°F | 52°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 28 | 65°F | 52°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 29 | 65°F | 52°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 65°F | 52°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 31 | 65°F | 52°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 64°FMay average
- Normal low
- 51°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.70 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 40.01 inch or more
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 30 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 5
- Days at 80°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 81%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023272; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Francisco in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 13% on average, highest around May 1 (17%). In all, 0.70 in falls on 4 days of a normal May.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023272.
What are the records for May in San Francisco?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1874) is 97°F, on May 28, 1887; the coldest is 42°F, on May 16, 1906. The wettest May brought 4.02 in (1925).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 57.8°F: 2021 55.9°F (−1.9), 2022 57.3°F (−0.5), 2023 56.3°F (−1.5), 2024 57.7°F (−0.1), 2025 57.8°F (at normal), 2026 58.5°F (+0.7). 1 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.9°F | −1.9°F | 0.02 in |
| 2022 | 57.3°F | −0.5°F | 0.02 in |
| 2023 | 56.3°F | −1.5°F | 1.21 in |
| 2024 | 57.7°F | −0.1°F | 1.03 in |
| 2025 | 57.8°F | at normal | 0.16 in |
| 2026 | 58.5°F | +0.7°F | 0.74 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023272; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023272. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in San Francisco 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 Francisco's is 64°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.