Anacortes weather in May

In May, Anacortes sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 15 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 60°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Anacortes's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anacortes's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
4:37 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
62%
5th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Anacortes is city in Skagit County, Washington, United States.

Density
450/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 56°F in the first days to 60°F by the end.

A typical May day in Anacortes reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°F warmer than April and about 4°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15647
25647
35647
45647
55647
65747
75748
85748
95748
105748
115849
125849
135849
145849
155849
165849
175950
185950
195950
205950
215950
225951
236051
246051
256051
266051
276051
286051
296051
306051
316052

How May really feels in Anacortes

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
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.

Anacortes weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan44° / 38°7.218.33.18.60.7
Feb46° / 38°4.714.62.59.91.1
Mar49° / 40°5.718.31.411.61.7
Apr53° / 44°4.114.60.213.42.7
May58° / 49°3.010.30154.3
Jun62° / 53°2.28.4015.85.5
Jul67° / 57°1.04.3015.57.3
Aug68° / 58°1.44.6014.17.4
Sep64° / 55°2.88.4012.46.0
Oct56° / 48°5.614.2010.63.4
Nov49° / 42°8.218.40.991.5
Dec44° / 38°7.1182.98.20.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34456
44357
54456
64357
74456
84456
94357
104357
114357
124357
134357
144357
154258
164159
174159
184159
194060
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254060
264060
273961
284060
294060
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Anacortes gets around 3.0 in of rain over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
338
436
535
634
733
833
932
1032
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1632
1732
1832
1933
2033
2133
2233
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2933
3033
3133

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 98% 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
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26964
27964
28955
29955
30946
31946

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
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 36 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 5:00 AM to 4:21 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:007:16
214.34:587:17
314.44:567:19
414.44:557:20
514.54:537:21
614.54:517:23
714.64:507:24
814.64:487:26
914.74:477:27
1014.74:457:29
1114.84:447:30
1214.84:427:31
1314.94:417:33
1414.94:397:34
1515.04:387:35
1615.04:377:37
1715.04:357:38
1815.14:347:39
1915.14:337:41
2015.24:327:42
2115.24:307:43
2215.34:297:45
2315.34:287:46
2415.34:277:47
2515.44:267:48
2615.44:257:49
2715.44:247:51
2815.54:237:52
2915.54:227:53
3015.54:227:54
3115.64:217:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Anacortes

In seasonPeak

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

Anacortes'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 Anacortes?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Anacortes for sightseeing.

What to pack for Anacortes in May

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

In May, Anacortes sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Anacortes in May

The nearest coast averages about 50°F 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 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 54°F and coldest in February near 46°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

45°50°55°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan46Bracing
Feb46Bracing
Mar47Bracing
Apr48Bracing
May50Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul53Bracing
Aug54Bracing
Sep53Bracing
Oct50Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec47Bracing

UV index in Anacortes 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 Anacortes 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

Air quality in Anacortes 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 Anacortes is worst in September — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1018 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May12Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Anacortes?

Anacortes sits at 48.5°N, 122.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mount Vernon, 14 mi away.

Topography around Anacortes

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Anacortes.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Anacortes has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 558 ft around an average of 75 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,581 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,758 ft.

The land around Anacortes is covered by water (51%) and trees (25%) within 2 miles, water (61%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
558 ft
10 miles
1,581 ft
50 miles
10,758 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Mount Vernon 14 mi · Oak Harbor 15 mi · Bellingham 18 mi · Arlington 31 mi · Oak Bay 32 mi · Gordon Head 32 mi · Victoria 34 mi · Saanich 35 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Anacortes (48.5126°, -122.6127°, elevation 23 ft), 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. 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).