Port Alberni weather in May

In May, Port Alberni sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 86 mm of rain across 12.1 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 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 Port Alberni's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Alberni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
4:43 AM – 7:48 PM
Cloud cover
66%
5th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Port Alberni is city in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
24/km²
people per km²
Founded
1912

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 13°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Port Alberni reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°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)
1136
2136
3136
4136
5146
6147
7147
8147
9147
10147
11147
12157
13157
14158
15158
16158
17158
18158
19158
20158
21168
22169
23169
24169
25169
26169
27169
28169
29169
30169
31169

How May really feels in Port Alberni

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.

Port Alberni 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 / 28918.56.88.50.1
Feb / 17815.269.80.4
Mar / 21218.16.511.61.1
Apr11° / 14115.81.313.42.3
May15° / 8612.1015.14.2
Jun17° / 10°6610.3015.95.4
Jul20° / 13°376.4015.67.0
Aug21° / 13°556.8014.27.1
Sep17° / 11°909.6012.45.7
Oct12° / 19815.70.110.52.9
Nov / 296193.48.90.9
Dec / 28019.188.10.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163565
173565
183664
193664
203664
213763
223763
233664
243763
253763
263763
273763
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Port Alberni gets around 86 mm of rain over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
343
443
542
641
740
839
939
1038
1138
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1738
1838
1938
2038
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2739
2839
2939
3039
3139

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
241000
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 5 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:07 AM to 4:27 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 8:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:077:26
214.45:057:28
314.45:037:29
414.55:017:31
514.55:007:32
614.64:587:34
714.64:567:35
814.74:557:37
914.84:537:38
1014.84:527:40
1114.94:507:41
1214.94:497:42
1314.94:477:44
1415.04:467:45
1515.04:447:47
1615.14:437:48
1715.14:417:49
1815.24:407:51
1915.24:397:52
2015.34:387:53
2115.34:367:55
2215.34:357:56
2315.44:347:57
2415.44:337:59
2515.54:328:00
2615.54:318:01
2715.54:308:02
2815.64:298:03
2915.64:288:04
3015.64:278:06
3115.74:278:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Port Alberni

In seasonPeak

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

Port Alberni'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 Port Alberni?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Port Alberni for sightseeing.

What to pack for Port Alberni in May

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

In May, Port Alberni sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Port Alberni in May

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Port Alberni 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 Port Alberni 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
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Port Alberni?

Port Alberni sits at 49.2°N, 124.8°W, 22 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Courtenay, 51 km away.

Topography around Port Alberni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Alberni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,743 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,058 m.

The land around Port Alberni is covered by trees (49%) within 3 km, trees (81%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
247 m
16 km
1,743 m
80 km
2,058 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Courtenay 51 km · Harewood 63 km · Nanaimo 63 km · Tofino 81 km · Campbell River 92 km · North Cowichan 93 km · Duncan 95 km · University Endowment Lands 114 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 Port Alberni (49.2413°, -124.8028°, elevation 22 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).