Downtown Vancouver weather in May

In May, Downtown Vancouver sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 117 mm of precipitation across 12.5 wet days and about 15.1 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 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Downtown Vancouver's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Downtown Vancouver's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
117 mm
12.5 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
4:36 AM – 7:41 PM
Cloud cover
66%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
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 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Downtown Vancouver reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1146
2146
3146
4157
5157
6157
7157
8157
9157
10157
11167
12168
13168
14168
15168
16168
17168
18168
19168
20169
21179
22179
23179
24179
25179
26179
27179
28179
29179
30179
311710

How May really feels in Downtown Vancouver

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.

Downtown Vancouver 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 / 316197.28.50.1
Feb / 18915.45.99.80.7
Mar / 25219.25.911.51.4
Apr12° / 17516.91.313.42.7
May16° / 11712.50.115.14.6
Jun18° / 11°9411.5015.95.6
Jul21° / 13°536.6015.67.3
Aug22° / 13°737.4014.27.2
Sep18° / 11°12510.2012.45.9
Oct13° / 24616.30.110.53.0
Nov / 34919.93.58.91.0
Dec / 30719.38.58.10.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24159
34159
44159
54159
64357
74357
84357
94357
104258
114159
124159
134159
144159
154060
163961
173862
183763
193763
203763
213763
223664
233763
243763
253763
263763
273763
283862
293961
303961
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Downtown Vancouver gets around 117 mm of rain and snow over 12.5 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 40% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
247
345
444
543
642
741
840
939
1039
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1738
1839
1939
2040
2140
2240
2340
2441
2541
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

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
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 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 5:00 AM to 4:20 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 8:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:007:20
214.44:587:21
314.44:567:23
414.54:547:24
514.54:537:26
614.64:517:27
714.74:497:29
814.74:487:30
914.84:467:32
1014.84:457:33
1114.94:437:34
1214.94:427:36
1315.04:407:37
1415.04:397:39
1515.04:377:40
1615.14:367:41
1715.14:357:43
1815.24:337:44
1915.24:327:46
2015.34:317:47
2115.34:307:48
2215.44:287:49
2315.44:277:51
2415.44:267:52
2515.54:257:53
2615.54:247:54
2715.54:237:56
2815.64:227:57
2915.64:217:58
3015.64:207:59
3115.74:208:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.5 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Downtown Vancouver

In seasonPeak

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

Downtown Vancouver's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Downtown Vancouver?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Downtown Vancouver for sightseeing.

What to pack for Downtown Vancouver in May

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

In May, Downtown Vancouver sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Downtown Vancouver in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in January near 7°C.

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

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Downtown Vancouver 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 Downtown Vancouver peaks around July 17 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 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Downtown Vancouver 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 Downtown Vancouver is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodAug 1517 µg/m³Dec 119 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Downtown Vancouver?

Downtown Vancouver sits at 49.3°N, 123.1°W, 14 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is West End, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Downtown Vancouver

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Downtown Vancouver has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,466 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,632 m.

The land around Downtown Vancouver is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and water (36%) within 3 km, trees (42%), water (28%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
1,466 m
80 km
2,632 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
May weather nearby: West End 1.0 km · Chinatown 1.0 km · Downtown Eastside 2.0 km · Mount Pleasant 2.0 km · Fairview 2.0 km · Mt Pleasant 3.0 km · South Granville 3.0 km · Grandview-Woodlands 4.0 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 Downtown Vancouver (49.2828°, -123.1193°, elevation 14 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).