Xi'an weather in May

In May, Xi'an sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 71 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Xi'an's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Xi'an's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
16°
8th coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:47 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Xi'an is capital of Shaanxi Province, China.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 63.1 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
951/km²
people per km²

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 29°C by the end.

A typical May day in Xi'an reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22614
32614
42614
52614
62614
72615
82615
92615
102615
112615
122615
132615
142715
152715
162715
172716
182716
192716
202716
212816
222816
232816
242817
252817
262817
272817
282917
292917
302917
312918

How May really feels in Xi'an

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.

Xi'an weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°133.22.6100.4
Feb10° / 184.1210.72.5
Mar16° / 3360.711.75.4
Apr23° / 11°4670.112.87.1
May27° / 16°718.2013.86.5
Jun31° / 20°937.3014.24.7
Jul32° / 23°14410.7014.13.8
Aug31° / 22°12910.6013.34.6
Sep26° / 17°13311.7012.26.3
Oct20° / 11°8110011.16.2
Nov13° / 406.61.110.24.0
Dec / -1°133.31.49.81.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34258
44258
54159
64060
74060
84060
93961
104060
114060
123961
133961
143961
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
253961
263862
273862
283862
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Xi'an gets around 71 mm of rain over 8.2 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 26% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
326
427
527
628
729
829
929
1029
1129
1228
1328
1427
1527
1626
1726
1825
1924
2024
2124
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2923
3024
3124

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 62% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1771751
2761761
3751861
4731971
5722071
6722071
7702181
8702181
9692281
10682291
11672391
12672391
13672391
14662491
15662491
16662491
17652591
186425101
196326101
206226111
216126121
225927131
235727142
245627152
255328172
265128192
274829202
284630223
294330243
304031263
313831274

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
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 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 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 6:01 AM to 5:39 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.46:017:22
213.46:007:23
313.45:597:24
413.45:587:24
513.55:577:25
613.55:567:26
713.55:557:27
813.65:547:28
913.65:537:28
1013.65:527:29
1113.65:517:30
1213.75:507:31
1313.75:497:32
1413.75:497:32
1513.85:487:33
1613.85:477:34
1713.85:467:35
1813.85:467:35
1913.95:457:36
2013.95:447:37
2113.95:447:38
2213.95:437:38
2313.95:437:39
2414.05:427:40
2514.05:417:41
2614.05:417:41
2714.05:407:42
2814.05:407:43
2914.15:407:43
3014.15:397:44
3114.15:397:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.75 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.53 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Xi'an

In seasonPeak

In May, Xi'an sits inside its rainy season and dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Xi'an's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Xi'an sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Xi'an?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Xi'an in May

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

In May, Xi'an sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Xi'an in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Xi'an peaks around July 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 highModerateJul 11UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Xi'an 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 Xi'an is worst in January — around 82 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 42 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Xi'an's WHO annual average of 63.1 µg/m³.

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 1981 µg/m³Aug 1042 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb77Unhealthy
Mar75Unhealthy
Apr67Unhealthy
May59Unhealthy
Jun49Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep53Poor
Oct65Unhealthy
Nov72Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Xi'an?

Xi'an sits at 34.3°N, 108.9°E, 416 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Luoyang, 325 km away.

LuoyangSongyangZhengzhouYinchuanChongqingZhangjiajieChengduWuhan

Topography around Xi'an

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Xi'an has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m around an average of 409 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 385 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,645 m.

The land around Xi'an is covered by artificial surfaces (91%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (61%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and cropland (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
34 m
16 km
385 m
80 km
2,645 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Luoyang 325 km · Songyang 377 km · Zhengzhou 436 km · Yinchuan 525 km · Chongqing 568 km · Zhangjiajie 589 km · Chengdu 606 km · Wuhan 646 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 Xi'an (34.2583°, 108.9286°, elevation 416 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).