San Luis Obispo weather in May: San Luis Obispo, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
San Luis Obispo in May has a normal high of 72°F and a normal low of 48°F, a daily mean of 60°F, rising from 71°F on the 1st to 74°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 3 days in a normal May, 0.47 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 22°C and low of 9°C, 12 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSan Luis Obispo Airport
- Station IDUSW00093206
- Location35.24°N 120.64°W
- Elevation200 ft (61 m)
- Population49,729
- Jan 65° 41°
- Feb 65° 42°
- Mar 67° 45°
- Apr 69° 46°
- May 72° 48°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 78° 54°
- Aug 79° 55°
- Sep 80° 53°
- Oct 77° 50°
- Nov 71° 45°
- Dec 65° 40°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Luis Obispo in May?
The normal high is 72°F and the normal low 48°F, for a daily mean of 59.9°F. May is 2.5°F warmer than April and 3.3°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in San Luis Obispo and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 3°F, from 71°F on May 1 to 74°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 58°F and 62°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% | 6% |
| May 8 | 71°F | 47°F | 11% | 5% |
| May 15 | 72°F | 48°F | 9% | 4% |
| May 22 | 73°F | 48°F | 8% | 3% |
| May 31 | 74°F | 49°F | 6% | 2% |
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% | 6% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 71°F | 47°F | 13% | 6% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 71°F | 47°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 71°F | 47°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 71°F | 47°F | 12% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 71°F | 47°F | 11% | 5% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 71°F | 47°F | 11% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 71°F | 47°F | 11% | 5% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 71°F | 47°F | 11% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 71°F | 47°F | 10% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 72°F | 47°F | 10% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 72°F | 47°F | 10% | 4% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 72°F | 48°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 72°F | 48°F | 10% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 72°F | 48°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 72°F | 48°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 72°F | 48°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 72°F | 48°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 72°F | 48°F | 9% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 72°F | 48°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 73°F | 48°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 73°F | 48°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 73°F | 48°F | 8% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 73°F | 49°F | 7% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 73°F | 49°F | 7% | 3% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 73°F | 49°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 73°F | 49°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 73°F | 49°F | 7% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 73°F | 49°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 73°F | 49°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 74°F | 49°F | 6% | 2% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 72°FMay average
- Normal low
- 48°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.47 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 30.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 18
- Days at 80°F or more
- 4
- Sunshine
- 91%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093206; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Luis Obispo in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 9% on average, highest around May 1 (13%). In all, 0.47 in falls on 3 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in San Luis Obispo, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093206.
What are the records for May in San Luis Obispo?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1998) is 103°F, on May 15, 2014; the coldest is 35°F, on May 15, 1999. The wettest May brought 2.65 in (1998).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 59.9°F: 2021 59.6°F (−0.3), 2022 60.3°F (+0.4), 2023 59.2°F (−0.7), 2024 62.4°F (+2.5), 2025 59.6°F (−0.3), 2026 60.0°F (+0.1). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.6°F | −0.3°F | 0.00 in |
| 2022 | 60.3°F | +0.4°F | 0.00 in |
| 2023 | 59.2°F | −0.7°F | 0.42 in |
| 2024 | 62.4°F | +2.5°F | 0.12 in |
| 2025 | 59.6°F | −0.3°F | 0.00 in |
| 2026 | 60.0°F | +0.1°F | 0.38 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00093206; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093206. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo's is 72°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- San Luis Obispo in April69°F by day, 46°F at night
- San Luis Obispo in June75°F by day, 51°F at night
- San Luis Obispo through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- California in MayThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Needles: California's warmest Maynormal high 96°F