Chengdu weather in May

In May, Chengdu sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 66 mm of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chengdu's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chengdu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
66 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
6:14 AM – 7:46 PM
Cloud cover
75%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Chengdu is capital of Sichuan Province, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 49.3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
944/km²
people per km²
Founded
~310 BCE

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 26°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chengdu reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 2°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172719
182719
192719
202719
212819
222819
232819
242819
252819
262820
272820
282820
292820
302820
312820

How May really feels in Chengdu

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.

Chengdu weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 3110.22.5
Feb12° / 7210.93.8
Mar17° / 10°195.511.85.8
Apr23° / 15°437.912.76.7
May27° / 18°669.713.56.1
Jun29° / 21°12811.713.95.0
Jul30° / 23°29219.813.83.6
Aug30° / 23°29019.813.13.9
Sep26° / 19°13412.812.25.9
Oct21° / 15°408.511.26.3
Nov16° / 10°164.310.45.5
Dec11° / 41.310.13.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52476
62476
72476
82377
92278
102278
112179
122278
132278
142278
152278
162377
172377
182377
192476
202476
212476
222476
232575
242575
252476
262476
272476
282476
292476
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Chengdu gets around 66 mm of rain over 9.7 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 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
333
433
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1433
1533
1632
1732
1831
1931
2030
2129
2229
2328
2428
2528
2628
2728
2828
2928
3028
3129

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the comfortable band about 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
148311550
246321660
345321760
444331760
542341860
641351860
740361850
839371950
938381950
1037391950
1136401950
1236401940
1334412040
1433422040
1532432040
1631432140
1730442241
1829442251
1927432451
2026432561
2125422661
2224412771
2323412881
2421402991
25203930101
26193832111
27173733121
28163634141
29153435151
30143337161
31133138171

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

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 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:26 AM to 6:07 AM, and sunset from 7:36 PM to 7:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.26:267:36
213.26:257:37
313.26:247:38
413.36:237:38
513.36:227:39
613.36:217:40
713.36:207:40
813.46:197:41
913.46:197:42
1013.46:187:42
1113.46:177:43
1213.56:167:44
1313.56:167:44
1413.56:157:45
1513.56:147:46
1613.56:147:46
1713.66:137:47
1813.66:127:48
1913.66:127:48
2013.66:117:49
2113.66:117:50
2213.76:107:50
2313.76:107:51
2413.76:097:52
2513.76:097:52
2613.76:087:53
2713.86:087:53
2813.86:087:54
2913.86:077:55
3013.86:077:55
3113.86:077:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.59 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.98 kWh/m² to a high of 4.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 4.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Chengdu

In seasonPeak

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

Chengdu's rainy season runs July–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 Chengdu?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Chengdu for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Chengdu in May

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

In May, Chengdu sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Chengdu in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chengdu peaks around July 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 16UV 10Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Chengdu 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 Chengdu is worst in January — around 60 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Chengdu's WHO annual average of 49.3 µg/m³.

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 1859 µg/m³Aug 1038 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan60Unhealthy
Feb58Unhealthy
Mar57Unhealthy
Apr50Poor
May47Poor
Jun39Poor
Jul38Poor
Aug38Poor
Sep44Poor
Oct49Poor
Nov54Poor
Dec57Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Chengdu?

Chengdu sits at 30.7°N, 104.1°E, 499 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Leshan, 126 km away.

GuiyangShangri-LaLijiangXi'anFenghuangKunming

Topography around Chengdu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chengdu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 501 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,717 m.

The land around Chengdu is covered by artificial surfaces (88%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (55%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and cropland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
124 m
80 km
3,717 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Leshan 126 km · Chongqing 269 km · Guiyang 523 km · Shangri-La 528 km · Lijiang 565 km · Xi'an 606 km · Fenghuang 616 km · Kunming 640 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Chengdu (30.6667°, 104.0667°, elevation 499 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).