Blue Mountains weather in May

In May, Blue Mountains sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 48 mm of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Blue Mountains's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Blue Mountains's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
9th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Precipitation
48 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:47 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
49%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical May day in Blue Mountains reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1177
2177
3177
4177
5176
6176
7166
8166
9166
10166
11166
12166
13166
14166
15165
16155
17155
18155
19155
20155
21155
22155
23155
24155
25145
26145
27145
28145
29145
30145
31145

How May really feels in Blue Mountains

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Blue Mountains weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°12615.6146.0
Feb24° / 14°14615.413.35.9
Mar22° / 12°11515.212.36.0
Apr19° / 569.111.26.3
May15° / 486.610.35.3
Jun13° / 627.59.83.7
Jul12° / 376.3103.6
Aug14° / 466.710.74.4
Sep17° / 538.211.85.8
Oct20° / 7510.512.86.3
Nov22° / 10°10913.713.76.1
Dec24° / 12°12113.414.26.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35941
45941
55941
66040
76139
86139
96238
106238
116238
126238
136139
146139
156139
166139
176040
186040
195941
205941
215941
225941
235842
245743
255743
265644
275644
285644
295545
305545
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Blue Mountains gets around 48 mm of rain and snow over 6.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 22% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
424
524
623
722
822
921
1021
1120
1220
1320
1420
1520
1621
1721
1821
1921
2022
2122
2222
2322
2422
2522
2622
2723
2823
2923
3023
3123

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3964
4964
5973
6973
7973
8973
9982
10982
11982
12991
13991
14991
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:36 AM to 7:58 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 5:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:366:16
210.67:366:15
310.67:376:14
410.67:386:13
510.67:396:12
610.57:406:11
710.57:406:10
810.57:416:09
910.47:426:08
1010.47:436:07
1110.47:436:07
1210.47:446:06
1310.37:456:05
1410.37:466:04
1510.37:466:03
1610.37:476:03
1710.27:486:02
1810.27:496:01
1910.27:496:01
2010.27:506:00
2110.17:515:59
2210.17:525:59
2310.17:525:58
2410.17:535:58
2510.17:545:57
2610.07:545:57
2710.07:555:56
2810.07:565:56
2910.07:565:55
3010.07:575:55
319.97:585:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 2.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Blue Mountains

In seasonPeak

None of Blue Mountains's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Blue Mountains's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Blue Mountains?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Blue Mountains for sightseeing.

What to pack for Blue Mountains in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Blue Mountains sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Blue Mountains in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Blue Mountains peaks around January 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 13Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct9Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Blue Mountains in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Blue Mountains is worst in December — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 12.5× the cleanest month (July, 4 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModeratePoorDec 1545 µg/m³Jul 214 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb5Good
Mar6Good
Apr9Good
May14Moderate
Jun8Good
Jul4Good
Aug5Good
Sep6Good
Oct7Good
Nov21Moderate
Dec49Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Blue Mountains?

Blue Mountains sits at 33.7°S, 150.3°E, 978 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Katoomba, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Blue Mountains

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Blue Mountains.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Blue Mountains has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 m around an average of 890 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,002 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,382 m.

The land around Blue Mountains is covered by trees (91%) within 3 km, trees (92%) within 16 km, and trees (73%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
696 m
16 km
1,002 m
80 km
1,382 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Katoomba 2.0 km · Glenmore Park 32 km · Cranebrook 35 km · St Clair 43 km · Mount Druitt 45 km · Quakers Hill 51 km · Blacktown 55 km · Glenwood 56 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Blue Mountains (-33.7133°, 150.3306°, elevation 978 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).