Central Saanich weather in May

In May, Central Saanich sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 42 mm of rain across 8.3 wet days and about 15 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of May to 15 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Central Saanich's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Central Saanich's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
42 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
4:40 AM – 7:40 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Central Saanich reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1148
2148
3148
4148
5148
6148
7148
8148
9158
10159
11159
12159
13159
14159
15159
16159
17159
18169
19169
20169
211610
221610
231610
241610
251610
261610
271610
281610
291610
301610
311610

Central Saanich weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 16217.42.28.50.6
Feb / 97131.89.81.0
Mar / 10715111.61.7
Apr12° / 6711.20.113.43.0
May15° / 428.30154.8
Jun18° / 11°275.6015.86.2
Jul20° / 13°143.1015.57.8
Aug21° / 13°223.2014.17.8
Sep18° / 12°437.1012.46.3
Oct13° / 10712.7010.63.4
Nov / 167170.791.4
Dec / 15716.72.48.20.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74654
84654
94654
104654
114654
124654
134555
144555
154456
164456
174456
184357
194357
204456
214456
224456
234456
244555
254555
264654
274555
284555
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Central Saanich gets around 42 mm of rain over 8.3 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 27% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
230
329
428
527
627
726
826
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1725
1826
1926
2027
2127
2227
2328
2428
2528
2627
2727
2827
2926
3026
3125

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of May to 15 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:03 AM to 4:24 AM, and sunset from 7:19 PM to 7:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:037:19
214.35:017:20
314.44:597:22
414.44:587:23
514.54:567:25
614.54:547:26
714.64:537:28
814.64:517:29
914.74:507:31
1014.74:487:32
1114.84:477:33
1214.84:457:35
1314.94:447:36
1414.94:427:38
1515.04:417:39
1615.04:407:40
1715.14:387:42
1815.14:377:43
1915.14:367:44
2015.24:357:45
2115.24:337:47
2215.34:327:48
2315.34:317:49
2415.34:307:50
2515.44:297:52
2615.44:287:53
2715.44:277:54
2815.54:267:55
2915.54:257:56
3015.54:257:57
3115.64:247:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Central Saanich

In seasonPeak

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

Central Saanich'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 Central Saanich?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Central Saanich for sightseeing.

What to pack for Central Saanich in May

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

In May, Central Saanich sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Central Saanich in May

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 22 km away) is warmest in August at about 12°C and coldest in January near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

6°8°10°12°14°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Central Saanich 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 Central Saanich peaks around July 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 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 18UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Central Saanich 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 Central Saanich is worst in October — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.7× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1815 µg/m³Dec 225 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul8Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct16Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Central Saanich?

Central Saanich sits at 48.6°N, 123.4°W, 64 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Saanich, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Central Saanich

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Central Saanich has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 214 m around an average of 66 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 640 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,151 m.

The land around Central Saanich is covered by trees (45%) and grassland (40%) within 3 km, water (44%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
214 m
16 km
640 m
80 km
2,151 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Saanich 4.0 km · Carey 11 km · Gordon Head 12 km · Langford 14 km · Esquimalt 15 km · Victoria 15 km · Oak Bay 16 km · Colwood 16 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 Central Saanich (48.5663°, -123.4193°, elevation 64 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).