Santa Monica weather in May: Santa Monica, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Santa Monica in May has a normal high of 69°F and a normal low of 57°F, a daily mean of 63°F, holding near 69°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 2 days in a normal May, 0.26 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 21°C and low of 14°C, 7 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSanta Monica Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00093197
- Location34.02°N 118.45°W
- Elevation174 ft (53 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population90,729
- Jan 66° 49°
- Feb 66° 49°
- Mar 66° 51°
- Apr 68° 53°
- May 69° 57°
- Jun 71° 60°
- Jul 75° 63°
- Aug 77° 63°
- Sep 76° 62°
- Oct 74° 58°
- Nov 70° 52°
- Dec 66° 48°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Santa Monica in May?
The normal high is 69°F and the normal low 57°F, for a daily mean of 62.7°F. May is 2.3°F warmer than April and 2.8°F cooler than June. May is the 6th warmest month of the year in Santa Monica and the 8th wettest. 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 61°F and 65°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 7%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% |
| May 8 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% |
| May 15 | 69°F | 57°F | 6% | 3% |
| May 22 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 2% |
| May 31 | 69°F | 58°F | 3% | 1% |
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 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 3 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 4 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 69°F | 55°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 69°F | 56°F | 7% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 8 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 9 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 10 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 69°F | 56°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 14 | 69°F | 57°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 15 | 69°F | 57°F | 6% | 3% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 16 | 69°F | 57°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 69°F | 57°F | 6% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 3% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 20 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 21 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 22 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h |
| May 23 | 69°F | 57°F | 5% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 69°F | 58°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 69°F | 58°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 69°F | 58°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 69°F | 58°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 28 | 69°F | 58°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 69°F | 58°F | 4% | 2% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 30 | 69°F | 58°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 31 | 69°F | 58°F | 3% | 1% | 14 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 69°FMay average
- Normal low
- 57°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 0.26 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
- 11
- Days at 80°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 89%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093197; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Santa Monica in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 5% on average, highest around May 1 (7%). In all, 0.26 in falls on 2 days of a normal May.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093197.
What are the records for May in Santa Monica?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1998) is 90°F, on May 2, 2004; the coldest is 47°F, on May 3, 2023. The wettest May brought 1.39 in (2019).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 62.7°F: 2021 62.3°F (−0.4), 2022 62.2°F (−0.5), 2023 60.0°F (−2.7), 2024 62.1°F (−0.6), 2025 63.6°F (+0.9), 2026 63.2°F (+0.5). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.3°F | −0.4°F | 0.00 in |
| 2022 | 62.2°F | −0.5°F | 0.00 in |
| 2023 | 60.0°F | −2.7°F | 0.76 in |
| 2024 | 62.1°F | −0.6°F | 0.06 in |
| 2025 | 63.6°F | +0.9°F | 0.01 in |
| 2026 | 63.2°F | +0.5°F | 0.00 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00093197; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093197. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Santa Monica 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 Monica's is 69°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.