San Rafael weather in May: San Rafael, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
San Rafael in May has a normal high of 72°F and a normal low of 51°F, a daily mean of 61°F, rising from 70°F on the 1st to 75°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 3 days in a normal May, 0.94 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 22°C and low of 10°C, 24 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSan Rafael Civic Center
- Station IDUSC00047880
- Location38.00°N 122.54°W
- Elevation120 ft (37 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population59,961
- Jan 57° 43°
- Feb 61° 44°
- Mar 65° 46°
- Apr 68° 48°
- May 72° 51°
- Jun 78° 54°
- Jul 81° 55°
- Aug 81° 56°
- Sep 81° 54°
- Oct 75° 51°
- Nov 65° 46°
- Dec 57° 42°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Rafael in May?
The normal high is 72°F and the normal low 51°F, for a daily mean of 61.3°F. May is 3.6°F warmer than April and 4.4°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in San Rafael and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 5°F, from 70°F on May 1 to 75°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.7°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 59°F and 64°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 15%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 70°F | 49°F | 15% | 9% |
| May 8 | 71°F | 50°F | 12% | 7% |
| May 15 | 72°F | 51°F | 10% | 6% |
| May 22 | 73°F | 51°F | 9% | 5% |
| May 31 | 75°F | 52°F | 7% | 3% |
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 | 70°F | 49°F | 15% | 9% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 70°F | 49°F | 15% | 9% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 3 | 70°F | 49°F | 14% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 4 | 70°F | 49°F | 14% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 70°F | 49°F | 13% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 70°F | 49°F | 13% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 71°F | 50°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 8 | 71°F | 50°F | 12% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 9 | 71°F | 50°F | 12% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 71°F | 50°F | 12% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 71°F | 50°F | 11% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 71°F | 50°F | 11% | 7% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 13 | 71°F | 50°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 14 | 72°F | 50°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 15 | 72°F | 51°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 72°F | 51°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 72°F | 51°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 18 | 72°F | 51°F | 10% | 6% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 19 | 72°F | 51°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 20 | 73°F | 51°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 21 | 73°F | 51°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 73°F | 51°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 73°F | 51°F | 8% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 73°F | 52°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 25 | 74°F | 52°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 26 | 74°F | 52°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 27 | 74°F | 52°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 28 | 74°F | 52°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 29 | 74°F | 52°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 75°F | 52°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 31 | 75°F | 52°F | 7% | 3% | 14 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 72°FMay average
- Normal low
- 51°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.94 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 40 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 16
- Days at 80°F or more
- 6
- Sunshine
- 81%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00047880; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Rafael in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 10% on average, highest around May 1 (15%). In all, 0.94 in falls on 3 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in San Rafael, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00047880.
What are the records for May in San Rafael?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1894) is 100°F, on May 13, 1976; the coldest is 27°F, on May 7, 1993. The wettest May brought 5.51 in (1957).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 61.3°F: 2023 60.9°F (−0.4), 2024 63.2°F (+1.9), 2025 64.9°F (+3.6), 2026 63.8°F (+2.5). 3 of 4 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 60.9°F | −0.4°F | 0.82 in |
| 2024 | 63.2°F | +1.9°F | 0.81 in |
| 2025 | 64.9°F | +3.6°F | 0.04 in |
| 2026 | 63.8°F | +2.5°F | 0.70 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00047880; recent months: ACIS, station USC00047880. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in San Rafael 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 Rafael's is 72°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.