Santa Cruz weather in May: Santa Cruz, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Santa Cruz in May has a normal high of 71°F and a normal low of 49°F, a daily mean of 60°F, rising from 70°F on the 1st to 73°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 4 days in a normal May, 0.87 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 22°C and low of 9°C, 22 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSanta Cruz
- Station IDUSC00047916
- Location36.99°N 122.00°W
- Elevation70 ft (21 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population62,581
- Jan 63° 41°
- Feb 64° 43°
- Mar 67° 44°
- Apr 69° 46°
- May 71° 49°
- Jun 74° 52°
- Jul 74° 54°
- Aug 76° 55°
- Sep 77° 53°
- Oct 74° 50°
- Nov 67° 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 Santa Cruz in May?
The normal high is 71°F and the normal low 49°F, for a daily mean of 60.2°F. May is 2.7°F warmer than April and 2.6°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in Santa Cruz and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 3°F, from 70°F on May 1 to 73°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 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 15%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 70°F | 47°F | 15% | 9% |
| May 8 | 71°F | 48°F | 13% | 8% |
| May 15 | 71°F | 49°F | 12% | 6% |
| May 22 | 72°F | 50°F | 10% | 5% |
| May 31 | 73°F | 50°F | 7% | 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 | 70°F | 47°F | 15% | 9% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 70°F | 47°F | 15% | 9% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 70°F | 48°F | 15% | 9% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 70°F | 48°F | 14% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 71°F | 48°F | 14% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 71°F | 48°F | 14% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 71°F | 48°F | 14% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 71°F | 48°F | 13% | 8% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 71°F | 48°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 71°F | 48°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 71°F | 49°F | 13% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 71°F | 49°F | 12% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 71°F | 49°F | 12% | 7% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 71°F | 49°F | 12% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 15 | 71°F | 49°F | 12% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 71°F | 49°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 71°F | 49°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 72°F | 49°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 19 | 72°F | 49°F | 11% | 6% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 72°F | 50°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 21 | 72°F | 50°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 72°F | 50°F | 10% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 72°F | 50°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 72°F | 50°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 25 | 72°F | 50°F | 9% | 5% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 26 | 72°F | 50°F | 9% | 4% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 72°F | 50°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 28 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 29 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 73°F | 50°F | 8% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 31 | 73°F | 50°F | 7% | 4% | 14 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 71°FMay average
- Normal low
- 49°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.87 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
- 16
- Days at 80°F or more
- 3
- Sunshine
- 88%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00047916; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Santa Cruz in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 11% on average, highest around May 1 (15%). In all, 0.87 in falls on 4 days of a normal May.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00047916.
What are the records for May in Santa Cruz?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 100°F, on May 14, 2014; the coldest is 28°F, on May 2, 1917. The wettest May brought 5.55 in (1915).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 60.2°F: 2021 60.4°F (+0.1). 1 of 1 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60.4°F | +0.1°F | – |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00047916; recent months: ACIS, station USC00047916. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Santa Cruz 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; Santa Cruz's is 71°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.