Canmore weather in May

In May, Canmore sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 82 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 15.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 15 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Canmore's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Canmore's year-round climate.

Daytime high
5th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
8th coldest
Precipitation
82 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
4:58 AM – 8:17 PM
Cloud cover
69%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Canmore is town in Alberta, Canada.

Density
202/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 6°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical May day in Canmore reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
16-5
26-5
36-4
46-4
56-4
66-4
77-4
87-4
97-4
107-3
117-3
128-3
138-3
148-3
158-3
168-2
178-2
189-2
199-2
209-2
219-2
229-2
239-1
2410-1
2510-1
2610-1
2710-1
2810-1
2911-1
3011-1
31110

How May really feels in Canmore

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Canmore 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-9° / -16°256.98.18.20.0
Feb-7° / -15°236.17.49.60.0
Mar-2° / -12°419.911.311.50.0
Apr / -7°5811.310.913.50.0
May / -3°8212.9815.31.3
Jun13° / 11917316.23.0
Jul18° / 8414.50.515.95.3
Aug18° / 7912.30.814.45.5
Sep12° / 6410.44.512.43.3
Oct / -6°428.17.610.40.3
Nov-4° / -12°388.19.38.70.0
Dec-9° / -17°246.47.67.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43268
53268
63268
73367
83367
93367
103268
113268
123268
133268
143169
153268
163169
173169
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
233070
243268
253268
263367
273367
283367
293367
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Canmore gets around 82 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 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 42% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14134
24134
34134
44133
54032
64031
74030
84030
94029
104028
114028
124027
134027
144026
154126
164125
174125
184225
194224
204324
214324
224423
234423
244422
254521
264520
274519
284518
294518
304617
314616

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of May to 15 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:24 AM to 4:41 AM, and sunset from 7:53 PM to 8:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:247:53
214.55:227:55
314.65:207:57
414.75:187:58
514.75:168:00
614.85:158:01
714.85:138:03
814.95:118:05
914.95:098:06
1015.05:088:08
1115.15:068:09
1215.15:058:11
1315.25:038:12
1415.25:018:14
1515.35:008:15
1615.34:588:17
1715.44:578:18
1815.44:568:20
1915.54:548:21
2015.54:538:23
2115.54:518:24
2215.64:508:26
2315.64:498:27
2415.74:488:28
2515.74:478:30
2615.84:468:31
2715.84:448:32
2815.84:438:33
2915.94:428:35
3015.94:428:36
3115.94:418:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.42 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Canmore

In seasonPeak

In May, Canmore sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Canmore's rainy season runs April–September, 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 Canmore?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Canmore.

What to pack for Canmore in May

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

In May, Canmore sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layersun protectionrain gear

UV index in Canmore in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Canmore peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Canmore 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 Canmore is worst in August — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 25.7× the cleanest month (January, 3 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodModerateGoodAug 1559 µg/m³Jan 103 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan3Good
Feb4Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul31Moderate
Aug64Unhealthy
Sep14Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov29Moderate
Dec3Good
Location & terrain

Where is Canmore?

Canmore sits at 51.1°N, 115.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Banff, 18 km away.

Topography around Canmore

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Canmore has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 677 m around an average of 1,405 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,793 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,762 m.

The land around Canmore is covered by trees (67%) within 3 km, trees (61%) and bare terrain (30%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
677 m
16 km
1,793 m
80 km
2,762 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Banff 18 km · Cochrane 63 km · Tuscany 77 km · Edgemont 84 km · Evanston 86 km · Calgary 89 km · Panorama Hills 89 km · Evergreen 89 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 Canmore (51.0834°, -115.3521°, elevation 0 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).