Squamish weather in May

In May, Squamish sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 132 mm of precipitation across 15.5 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 9°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Squamish's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Squamish's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
132 mm
15.5 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
4:35 AM – 7:43 PM
Cloud cover
70%
4th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10
Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019

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 9°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Squamish reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
191
291
391
491
591
6102
7102
8102
9102
10102
11102
12112
13112
14113
15113
16113
17113
18113
19123
20123
21123
22124
23124
24124
25124
26124
27124
28134
29135
30135
31135

How May really feels in Squamish

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.

Squamish 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 / -3°38019.3198.40.0
Feb / -3°23515.315.19.80.0
Mar / -2°30819.418.511.50.0
Apr / 19216.513.313.40.6
May11° / 13215.55.415.12.3
Jun14° / 12716.71.2163.4
Jul18° / 8811.2015.75.7
Aug18° / 10°10610.8014.25.9
Sep15° / 15011.90.912.44.3
Oct / 29417.18.510.51.4
Nov / -1°4162017.28.80.0
Dec / -3°37419.519.580.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43466
53367
63367
73466
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133268
143169
153169
163268
173169
183070
193070
203169
213070
223070
233070
242971
253070
263070
273070
283070
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Squamish gets around 132 mm of rain and snow over 15.5 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 50% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15034
25033
34932
44931
54830
64728
74727
84626
94624
104623
114621
124620
134619
144718
154816
164815
174914
185014
195113
205212
215211
225311
235410
24549
25549
26558
27558
28557
29557
30557
31557

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 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 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 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:59 AM to 4:18 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 8:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.44:597:21
214.44:577:22
314.54:557:24
414.54:537:25
514.64:527:27
614.64:507:28
714.74:487:30
814.74:477:31
914.84:457:33
1014.84:447:34
1114.94:427:36
1214.94:407:37
1315.04:397:39
1415.04:377:40
1515.14:367:42
1615.14:357:43
1715.24:337:44
1815.24:327:46
1915.34:317:47
2015.34:297:49
2115.44:287:50
2215.44:277:51
2315.44:267:53
2415.54:257:54
2515.54:247:55
2615.64:237:56
2715.64:227:57
2815.64:217:59
2915.74:208:00
3015.74:198:01
3115.74:188:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Squamish

In seasonPeak

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

Squamish'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 Squamish?

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

2.3
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 Squamish.

What to pack for Squamish in May

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

In May, Squamish sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Squamish 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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Squamish 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 Squamish 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
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Squamish?

Squamish sits at 49.7°N, 123.2°W, 5 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is West Vancouver, 41 km away.

Topography around Squamish

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Squamish has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 862 m around an average of 138 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,258 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,830 m.

The land around Squamish is covered by trees (66%) within 3 km, trees (79%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
862 m
16 km
2,258 m
80 km
2,830 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: West Vancouver 41 km · Central Lonsdale 42 km · North Vancouver 43 km · Lower Lonsdale 43 km · West End 46 km · Downtown Vancouver 46 km · Downtown Eastside 47 km · Chinatown 47 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 Squamish (49.6992°, -123.1563°, elevation 5 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).