Cambridge weather in May

In May, Cambridge sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 87 mm of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cambridge's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cambridge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
5:03 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
63%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Cambridge is city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Founded
1973

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Cambridge reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1165
2165
3166
4166
5176
6176
7176
8177
9177
10187
11187
12187
13187
14188
15198
16198
17198
18198
19198
20209
21209
22209
23209
242010
252110
262110
272110
282110
292111
302211
312211

How May really feels in Cambridge

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.

Cambridge weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -9°6510.88.59.20.0
Feb-0° / -9°538.56.610.20.0
Mar / -4°649.94.911.60.4
Apr12° / 8711.81.913.23.1
May19° / 8711.6014.55.7
Jun24° / 13°9411.5015.26.6
Jul26° / 16°8310.8014.96.6
Aug25° / 15°759.6013.86.9
Sep21° / 11°789.5012.36.6
Oct14° / 77110.210.84.0
Nov / -0°71102.89.51.0
Dec / -5°6310.278.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33862
43862
53961
63862
73862
83961
93961
104060
114060
124159
134159
144159
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cambridge gets around 87 mm of rain over 11.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
639
739
839
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1437
1537
1637
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2235
2335
2435
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3137

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196310
296310
396310
495410
595410
694420
793520
893520
992620
1092620
1191720
1291720
1389830
1489830
1588930
1687940
17861040
18841051
19841051
20821161
21811171
22801181
23781192
24781192
257711102
267512112
277412113
287312123
297213123
307213123
316914134

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:22 AM to 4:50 AM, and sunset from 7:15 PM to 7:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:227:15
213.95:207:16
314.05:197:17
414.05:187:19
514.15:167:20
614.15:157:21
714.15:147:22
814.25:127:23
914.25:117:24
1014.35:107:25
1114.35:097:27
1214.35:077:28
1314.45:067:29
1414.45:057:30
1514.55:047:31
1614.55:037:32
1714.55:027:33
1814.65:017:34
1914.65:007:35
2014.64:597:36
2114.74:587:37
2214.74:577:38
2314.74:567:39
2414.84:557:40
2514.84:547:41
2614.84:547:42
2714.84:537:43
2814.94:527:44
2914.94:527:45
3014.94:517:46
3114.94:507:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Cambridge?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Cambridge for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cambridge in May

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

In May, Cambridge sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cambridge in May

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 56 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 22 to Sep 1 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Cambridge in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cambridge peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Cambridge 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 Cambridge is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Nov 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cambridge?

Cambridge sits at 43.4°N, 80.3°W, 272 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Christopher-Champlain, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Cambridge

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cambridge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 294 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 461 m.

The land around Cambridge is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and cropland (33%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
175 m
80 km
461 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Christopher-Champlain 2.0 km · Fiddlesticks 4.0 km · Hespeler 8.0 km · Kitchener 18 km · Forest Heights 18 km · Waterloo 20 km · Guelph 21 km · Brant 25 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

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 Cambridge (43.3601°, -80.3127°, elevation 272 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).