Shanghai weather in May
In May, Shanghai sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 127 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.
Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.
Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Shanghai's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shanghai's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 24°
- 5th warmest
- Overnight low
- 17°
- 8th coldest
- Rainfall
- 127 mm
- 10 wet days
- Daylight
- 13 h 36 min
- 5:03 AM – 6:38 PM
- Cloud cover
- 66%
- 9th clearest
- Wind
- 14 km/h
- 4th windiest
- Solar energy
- 5.24 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 6.7
- out of 10
Shanghai is provincial-level municipality in China.
- Air quality
- Very high
- PM2.5 37.7 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 3,923/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1292
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in May
Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.
A typical May day in Shanghai reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Avg low (°C) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | 15 |
| 2 | 23 | 15 |
| 3 | 23 | 15 |
| 4 | 23 | 16 |
| 5 | 23 | 16 |
| 6 | 23 | 16 |
| 7 | 23 | 16 |
| 8 | 23 | 16 |
| 9 | 23 | 16 |
| 10 | 24 | 17 |
| 11 | 24 | 17 |
| 12 | 24 | 17 |
| 13 | 24 | 17 |
| 14 | 24 | 17 |
| 15 | 24 | 17 |
| 16 | 24 | 17 |
| 17 | 24 | 18 |
| 18 | 25 | 18 |
| 19 | 25 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 18 |
| 21 | 25 | 18 |
| 22 | 25 | 18 |
| 23 | 25 | 19 |
| 24 | 25 | 19 |
| 25 | 25 | 19 |
| 26 | 25 | 19 |
| 27 | 26 | 19 |
| 28 | 26 | 19 |
| 29 | 26 | 19 |
| 30 | 26 | 19 |
| 31 | 26 | 20 |
How May really feels in Shanghai
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.
May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Shanghai weather by month
How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8° / 3° | 63 | 8.4 | 0.5 | 10.2 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 10° / 4° | 62 | 8.7 | 0.5 | 10.9 | 2.2 |
| Mar | 14° / 7° | 96 | 11.3 | 0.1 | 11.8 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 19° / 12° | 104 | 10.2 | 0 | 12.7 | 5.9 |
| May | 24° / 17° | 127 | 10 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 27° / 22° | 270 | 14.5 | 0 | 14 | 5.4 |
| Jul | 31° / 26° | 157 | 13.9 | 0 | 13.8 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 31° / 26° | 154 | 14.8 | 0 | 13.1 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 27° / 22° | 106 | 10.9 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.1 |
| Oct | 23° / 17° | 61 | 6 | 0 | 11.2 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 17° / 11° | 56 | 7.4 | 0 | 10.4 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 11° / 5° | 45 | 6.7 | 0.3 | 10 | 3.0 |
Cloud cover in May
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 62%.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 |
| Cloudier (%) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | 60 |
| 2 | 40 | 60 |
| 3 | 40 | 60 |
| 4 | 40 | 60 |
| 5 | 40 | 60 |
| 6 | 40 | 60 |
| 7 | 39 | 61 |
| 8 | 39 | 61 |
| 9 | 38 | 62 |
| 10 | 38 | 62 |
| 11 | 38 | 62 |
| 12 | 38 | 62 |
| 13 | 37 | 63 |
| 14 | 37 | 63 |
| 15 | 37 | 63 |
| 16 | 37 | 63 |
| 17 | 39 | 61 |
| 18 | 39 | 61 |
| 19 | 38 | 62 |
| 20 | 38 | 62 |
| 21 | 39 | 61 |
| 22 | 38 | 62 |
| 23 | 38 | 62 |
| 24 | 38 | 62 |
| 25 | 38 | 62 |
| 26 | 38 | 62 |
| 27 | 38 | 62 |
| 28 | 38 | 62 |
| 29 | 37 | 63 |
| 30 | 36 | 64 |
| 31 | 35 | 65 |
Chance of precipitation in May
Shanghai gets around 127 mm of rain over 10 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 31 |
| 2 | 31 |
| 3 | 31 |
| 4 | 32 |
| 5 | 32 |
| 6 | 33 |
| 7 | 34 |
| 8 | 34 |
| 9 | 35 |
| 10 | 35 |
| 11 | 35 |
| 12 | 35 |
| 13 | 35 |
| 14 | 35 |
| 15 | 34 |
| 16 | 34 |
| 17 | 33 |
| 18 | 33 |
| 19 | 32 |
| 20 | 32 |
| 21 | 31 |
| 22 | 31 |
| 23 | 30 |
| 24 | 30 |
| 25 | 29 |
| 26 | 29 |
| 27 | 29 |
| 28 | 30 |
| 29 | 30 |
| 30 | 31 |
| 31 | 31 |
Humidity in May
Most of May feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 41 | 38 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Comfortable (%) | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
| Humid (%) | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Muggy (%) | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 37 |
| Oppressive (%) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | 27 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 38 | 28 | 23 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 36 | 29 | 24 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | 28 | 30 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | 26 | 30 | 27 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | 25 | 30 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | 24 | 30 | 27 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | 23 | 29 | 28 | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | 29 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| 15 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | 19 | 28 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | 18 | 27 | 30 | 20 | 5 | 0 |
| 18 | 17 | 26 | 30 | 21 | 5 | 0 |
| 19 | 16 | 26 | 31 | 23 | 5 | 0 |
| 20 | 14 | 25 | 31 | 24 | 5 | 0 |
| 21 | 13 | 24 | 32 | 26 | 5 | 0 |
| 22 | 12 | 24 | 32 | 27 | 6 | 0 |
| 23 | 11 | 23 | 32 | 28 | 6 | 0 |
| 24 | 10 | 22 | 33 | 29 | 6 | 0 |
| 25 | 8 | 22 | 34 | 30 | 6 | 0 |
| 26 | 7 | 21 | 34 | 31 | 7 | 0 |
| 27 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 32 | 7 | 0 |
| 28 | 5 | 18 | 35 | 33 | 8 | 0 |
| 29 | 4 | 17 | 35 | 34 | 9 | 0 |
| 30 | 4 | 16 | 35 | 36 | 9 | 0 |
| 31 | 3 | 15 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 1 |
Wind in May
Winds average 14 km/h in May.
Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | light breeze |
| 2 | 14 | light breeze |
| 3 | 14 | light breeze |
| 4 | 14 | light breeze |
| 5 | 14 | light breeze |
| 6 | 14 | light breeze |
| 7 | 14 | light breeze |
| 8 | 14 | light breeze |
| 9 | 14 | light breeze |
| 10 | 14 | light breeze |
| 11 | 14 | light breeze |
| 12 | 14 | light breeze |
| 13 | 14 | light breeze |
| 14 | 14 | light breeze |
| 15 | 14 | light breeze |
| 16 | 14 | light breeze |
| 17 | 14 | light breeze |
| 18 | 14 | light breeze |
| 19 | 14 | light breeze |
| 20 | 14 | light breeze |
| 21 | 14 | light breeze |
| 22 | 13 | light breeze |
| 23 | 13 | light breeze |
| 24 | 13 | light breeze |
| 25 | 13 | light breeze |
| 26 | 13 | light breeze |
| 27 | 13 | light breeze |
| 28 | 13 | light breeze |
| 29 | 13 | light breeze |
| 30 | 13 | light breeze |
| 31 | 13 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in May
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:15 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:47 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 13.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:13 | 5:12 | 5:12 | 5:11 | 5:10 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:07 | 5:07 | 5:06 | 5:05 | 5:04 | 5:04 | 5:03 | 5:02 | 5:02 | 5:01 | 5:01 | 5:00 | 4:59 | 4:59 | 4:58 | 4:58 | 4:58 | 4:57 | 4:57 | 4:56 | 4:56 | 4:56 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:27 | 6:28 | 6:29 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:31 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:34 | 6:34 | 6:35 | 6:36 | 6:36 | 6:37 | 6:38 | 6:39 | 6:39 | 6:40 | 6:41 | 6:41 | 6:42 | 6:42 | 6:43 | 6:44 | 6:44 | 6:45 | 6:46 | 6:46 | 6:47 | 6:47 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.2 | 5:15 | 6:27 |
| 2 | 13.2 | 5:14 | 6:28 |
| 3 | 13.3 | 5:13 | 6:29 |
| 4 | 13.3 | 5:12 | 6:30 |
| 5 | 13.3 | 5:12 | 6:30 |
| 6 | 13.3 | 5:11 | 6:31 |
| 7 | 13.4 | 5:10 | 6:32 |
| 8 | 13.4 | 5:09 | 6:32 |
| 9 | 13.4 | 5:08 | 6:33 |
| 10 | 13.4 | 5:07 | 6:34 |
| 11 | 13.5 | 5:07 | 6:34 |
| 12 | 13.5 | 5:06 | 6:35 |
| 13 | 13.5 | 5:05 | 6:36 |
| 14 | 13.5 | 5:04 | 6:36 |
| 15 | 13.6 | 5:04 | 6:37 |
| 16 | 13.6 | 5:03 | 6:38 |
| 17 | 13.6 | 5:02 | 6:39 |
| 18 | 13.6 | 5:02 | 6:39 |
| 19 | 13.6 | 5:01 | 6:40 |
| 20 | 13.7 | 5:01 | 6:41 |
| 21 | 13.7 | 5:00 | 6:41 |
| 22 | 13.7 | 4:59 | 6:42 |
| 23 | 13.7 | 4:59 | 6:42 |
| 24 | 13.7 | 4:58 | 6:43 |
| 25 | 13.8 | 4:58 | 6:44 |
| 26 | 13.8 | 4:58 | 6:44 |
| 27 | 13.8 | 4:57 | 6:45 |
| 28 | 13.8 | 4:57 | 6:46 |
| 29 | 13.8 | 4:56 | 6:46 |
| 30 | 13.8 | 4:56 | 6:47 |
| 31 | 13.9 | 4:56 | 6:47 |
Solar energy in May
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.24 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 5.31 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 2 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 3 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 4 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 5 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 6 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 7 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 8 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 9 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 10 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 11 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 12 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 13 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 14 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 15 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 16 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 17 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 18 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 19 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 20 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 21 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 22 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 23 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 24 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 25 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 26 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 27 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 28 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 29 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 30 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 31 | 5.2 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Shanghai
In May, Shanghai sits inside its pacific typhoon and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Shanghai sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Shanghai's rainy season runs May–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is May a good time to visit Shanghai?
Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
May is a reasonable time to visit Shanghai for sightseeing.
What to pack for Shanghai in May
From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In May, Shanghai sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Shanghai in May
The nearest coast averages about 19°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 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 7°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Oct 25 — about 5 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 8 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 12 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Bracing |
| Feb | 7 | Bracing |
| Mar | 10 | Bracing |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 26 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Warm |
| Sep | 26 | Warm |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 12 | Bracing |
UV index in Shanghai in May
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 Shanghai peaks around August 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Shanghai in May
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Shanghai is worst in December — around 53 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Shanghai's WHO annual average of 37.7 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 51 | 45 | 44 | 40 | 34 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 43 | 53 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | Poor |
| Feb | 45 | Poor |
| Mar | 44 | Poor |
| Apr | 40 | Poor |
| May | 34 | Moderate |
| Jun | 29 | Moderate |
| Jul | 27 | Moderate |
| Aug | 25 | Moderate |
| Sep | 28 | Moderate |
| Oct | 32 | Moderate |
| Nov | 43 | Poor |
| Dec | 53 | Poor |
Where is Shanghai?
Shanghai sits at 31.2°N, 121.5°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Suzhou, 83 km away.
Topography around Shanghai
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Shanghai.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Shanghai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 158 m.
The land around Shanghai is covered by artificial surfaces (86%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (73%) within 16 km, and water (39%), cropland (29%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 80 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
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 Shanghai (31.2222°, 121.4581°, elevation 12 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).