Anchorage weather in May

In May, Anchorage sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 7.1 wet days and about 17 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 55°F 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 15 h 42 min at the start of May to 18 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Anchorage's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anchorage's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 51°; 5th warmest
Overnight low: 39°; 8th coldest
Precipitation: 1.2 in; 7.1 wet days
Daylight: 17 h 06 min; 4:23 AM – 9:28 PM
Cloud cover: 63%; 3rd clearest
Wind: 4 mph; 9th windiest
Solar energy: 5.32 kWh/m²
Travel score: 2.7; out of 10

Anchorage is consolidated city-borough and largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska.

Density: 57/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1914

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← April Anchorage year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical May day in Anchorage reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 7°F 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 (°F)	47	47	47	48	48	48	48	49	49	49	50	50	50	51	51	51	52	52	52	53	53	53	53	54	54	54	55	55	55	55	56
Avg low (°F)	35	35	35	36	36	36	37	37	37	37	38	38	38	38	39	39	39	40	40	40	41	41	41	42	42	42	43	43	44	44	44

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	47	35
2	47	35
3	47	35
4	48	36
5	48	36
6	48	36
7	48	37
8	49	37
9	49	37
10	49	37
11	50	38
12	50	38
13	50	38
14	51	38
15	51	39
16	51	39
17	52	39
18	52	40
19	52	40
20	53	40
21	53	41
22	53	41
23	53	41
24	54	42
25	54	42
26	54	42
27	55	43
28	55	43
29	55	44
30	55	44
31	56	44

How May really feels in Anchorage

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 3 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Anchorage weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	21° / 14°	2.0	10.4	10.7	6	0.0
Feb	26° / 18°	1.9	9.6	9.4	8.5	0.0
Mar	32° / 21°	1.5	8.5	8.5	11.3	0.0
Apr	42° / 30°	1.2	7.3	4	14.3	0.5
May	51° / 39°	1.2	7.1	0.6	17	2.7
Jun	59° / 49°	1.6	9	0	18.8	4.5
Jul	62° / 54°	2.9	12.5	0	18.1	4.9
Aug	61° / 53°	4.2	14.8	0	15.5	4.4
Sep	54° / 46°	4.6	15.3	0.4	12.6	2.8
Oct	41° / 33°	3.5	13.2	4.1	9.6	0.4
Nov	29° / 22°	2.6	11.7	9.3	6.9	0.0
Dec	23° / 16°	2.9	12.8	13	5.2	0.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

	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 (%)	42	42	41	41	41	40	40	40	41	41	41	41	41	42	42	43	43	43	44	44	43	43	43	42	42	42	41	41	41	40	40
Cloudier (%)	58	58	59	59	59	60	60	60	59	59	59	59	59	58	58	57	57	57	56	56	57	57	57	58	58	58	59	59	59	60	60

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	42	58
3	41	59
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	41	59
11	41	59
12	41	59
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	42	58
25	42	58
26	42	58
27	41	59
28	41	59
29	41	59
30	40	60
31	40	60

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Anchorage gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

	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 (%)	24	24	24	25	25	25	24	24	24	23	23	22	22	22	22	21	21	21	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	23	23	23	24	24	24
Snow chance (%)	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	24	5
2	24	5
3	24	5
4	25	4
5	25	4
6	25	4
7	24	4
8	24	4
9	24	3
10	23	3
11	23	3
12	22	2
13	22	2
14	22	2
15	22	2
16	21	1
17	21	1
18	21	1
19	22	1
20	22	1
21	22	1
22	22	1
23	22	0
24	22	0
25	22	0
26	23	0
27	23	0
28	23	0
29	24	0
30	24	0
31	24	0

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.

	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 (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in May

Winds average 4 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph 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 (mph)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	4	calm
2	4	calm
3	4	calm
4	4	calm
5	4	calm
6	4	calm
7	4	calm
8	4	calm
9	4	calm
10	4	calm
11	4	calm
12	4	calm
13	4	calm
14	4	calm
15	4	calm
16	4	calm
17	4	calm
18	4	calm
19	4	calm
20	4	calm
21	4	calm
22	4	calm
23	4	calm
24	4	calm
25	4	calm
26	4	calm
27	4	calm
28	4	calm
29	4	calm
30	4	calm
31	4	calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 42 min at the start of May to 18 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 150 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:04 AM to 3:51 AM, and sunset from 8:49 PM to 10:03 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)	15.7	15.8	15.9	16.0	16.1	16.2	16.3	16.4	16.5	16.6	16.7	16.7	16.8	16.9	17.0	17.1	17.2	17.2	17.3	17.4	17.5	17.6	17.6	17.7	17.8	17.9	17.9	18.0	18.1	18.1	18.2
Sunrise (AM)	5:04	5:02	4:59	4:56	4:53	4:50	4:47	4:45	4:42	4:39	4:36	4:34	4:31	4:29	4:26	4:23	4:21	4:19	4:16	4:14	4:11	4:09	4:07	4:05	4:03	4:01	3:59	3:57	3:55	3:53	3:51
Sunset (PM)	8:49	8:52	8:54	8:57	9:00	9:02	9:05	9:08	9:10	9:13	9:15	9:18	9:21	9:23	9:26	9:28	9:31	9:33	9:36	9:38	9:41	9:43	9:45	9:48	9:50	9:52	9:54	9:56	9:59	10:01	10:03

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	15.7	5:04	8:49
2	15.8	5:02	8:52
3	15.9	4:59	8:54
4	16.0	4:56	8:57
5	16.1	4:53	9:00
6	16.2	4:50	9:02
7	16.3	4:47	9:05
8	16.4	4:45	9:08
9	16.5	4:42	9:10
10	16.6	4:39	9:13
11	16.7	4:36	9:15
12	16.7	4:34	9:18
13	16.8	4:31	9:21
14	16.9	4:29	9:23
15	17.0	4:26	9:26
16	17.1	4:23	9:28
17	17.2	4:21	9:31
18	17.2	4:19	9:33
19	17.3	4:16	9:36
20	17.4	4:14	9:38
21	17.5	4:11	9:41
22	17.6	4:09	9:43
23	17.6	4:07	9:45
24	17.7	4:05	9:48
25	17.8	4:03	9:50
26	17.9	4:01	9:52
27	17.9	3:59	9:54
28	18.0	3:57	9:56
29	18.1	3:55	9:59
30	18.1	3:53	10:01
31	18.2	3:51	10:03

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.32 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)	4.9	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.6
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	4.9	Bright
2	4.9	Bright
3	4.9	Bright
4	5.0	Bright
5	5.0	Bright
6	5.0	Bright
7	5.0	Bright
8	5.1	Bright
9	5.1	Bright
10	5.2	Bright
11	5.2	Bright
12	5.2	Bright
13	5.3	Bright
14	5.3	Bright
15	5.3	Bright
16	5.4	Bright
17	5.4	Bright
18	5.4	Bright
19	5.4	Bright
20	5.5	Bright
21	5.5	Bright
22	5.5	Bright
23	5.5	Bright
24	5.5	Bright
25	5.5	Bright
26	5.5	Bright
27	5.5	Bright
28	5.6	Bright
29	5.6	Bright
30	5.6	Bright
31	5.6	Bright

Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Anchorage

In seasonPeak

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

Anchorage's rainy season runs July–December, 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 Anchorage?

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

2.7

Sightseeing

5th-best month of the year

—

Beach & pool

never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Anchorage.

What to pack for Anchorage in May

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

In May, Anchorage sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 39°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Anchorage in May

The nearest coast averages about 36°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 10 mi away) is warmest in August at about 57°F and coldest in February near 31°F.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°F)	31	31	31	32	36	48	55	57	54	47	40	32
Comfort	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°F)	Comfort
Jan	31	Bracing
Feb	31	Bracing
Mar	31	Bracing
Apr	32	Bracing
May	36	Bracing
Jun	48	Bracing
Jul	55	Bracing
Aug	57	Bracing
Sep	54	Bracing
Oct	47	Bracing
Nov	40	Bracing
Dec	32	Bracing

UV index in Anchorage in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Anchorage peaks around June 23 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	0	1	1	3	4	5	5	4	2	1	0	0
Level	Low	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	0	Low
Feb	1	Low
Mar	1	Low
Apr	3	Moderate
May	4	Moderate
Jun	5	Moderate
Jul	5	Moderate
Aug	4	Moderate
Sep	2	Moderate
Oct	1	Low
Nov	0	Low
Dec	0	Low

Location & terrain

Where is Anchorage?

Anchorage sits at 61.2°N, 149.9°W, 102 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Eagle River, 13 mi away.

Topography around Anchorage

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Anchorage has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,386 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,769 ft.

The land around Anchorage is covered by water (39%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and water (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (42%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

194 ft

water 39%

10 miles

3,386 ft

trees 39%

50 miles

7,769 ft

trees 42%

treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen

← April Anchorage year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

May weather nearby: Eagle River 13 mi · Badger 258 mi · Fairbanks 259 mi · Dawson City 385 mi · Whitehorse 498 mi · Juneau 574 mi · Terrace 903 mi · Anadyr 1,039 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

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 Anchorage (61.2181°, -149.9003°, elevation 102 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	47	35
2	47	35
3	47	35
4	48	36
5	48	36
6	48	36
7	48	37
8	49	37
9	49	37
10	49	37
11	50	38
12	50	38
13	50	38
14	51	38
15	51	39
16	51	39
17	52	39
18	52	40
19	52	40
20	53	40
21	53	41
22	53	41
23	53	41
24	54	42
25	54	42
26	54	42
27	55	43
28	55	43
29	55	44
30	55	44
31	56	44

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	42	58
3	41	59
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	41	59
11	41	59
12	41	59
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	42	58
25	42	58
26	42	58
27	41	59
28	41	59
29	41	59
30	40	60
31	40	60

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	24	5
2	24	5
3	24	5
4	25	4
5	25	4
6	25	4
7	24	4
8	24	4
9	24	3
10	23	3
11	23	3
12	22	2
13	22	2
14	22	2
15	22	2
16	21	1
17	21	1
18	21	1
19	22	1
20	22	1
21	22	1
22	22	1
23	22	0
24	22	0
25	22	0
26	23	0
27	23	0
28	23	0
29	24	0
30	24	0
31	24	0

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	47	35
2	47	35
3	47	35
4	48	36
5	48	36
6	48	36
7	48	37
8	49	37
9	49	37
10	49	37
11	50	38
12	50	38
13	50	38
14	51	38
15	51	39
16	51	39
17	52	39
18	52	40
19	52	40
20	53	40
21	53	41
22	53	41
23	53	41
24	54	42
25	54	42
26	54	42
27	55	43
28	55	43
29	55	44
30	55	44
31	56	44

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	42	58
3	41	59
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	41	59
11	41	59
12	41	59
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	42	58
25	42	58
26	42	58
27	41	59
28	41	59
29	41	59
30	40	60
31	40	60

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	24	5
2	24	5
3	24	5
4	25	4
5	25	4
6	25	4
7	24	4
8	24	4
9	24	3
10	23	3
11	23	3
12	22	2
13	22	2
14	22	2
15	22	2
16	21	1
17	21	1
18	21	1
19	22	1
20	22	1
21	22	1
22	22	1
23	22	0
24	22	0
25	22	0
26	23	0
27	23	0
28	23	0
29	24	0
30	24	0
31	24	0

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	47	35
2	47	35
3	47	35
4	48	36
5	48	36
6	48	36
7	48	37
8	49	37
9	49	37
10	49	37
11	50	38
12	50	38
13	50	38
14	51	38
15	51	39
16	51	39
17	52	39
18	52	40
19	52	40
20	53	40
21	53	41
22	53	41
23	53	41
24	54	42
25	54	42
26	54	42
27	55	43
28	55	43
29	55	44
30	55	44
31	56	44

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	42	58
3	41	59
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	41	59
11	41	59
12	41	59
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	42	58
16	43	57
17	43	57
18	43	57
19	44	56
20	44	56
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	42	58
25	42	58
26	42	58
27	41	59
28	41	59
29	41	59
30	40	60
31	40	60

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	24	5
2	24	5
3	24	5
4	25	4
5	25	4
6	25	4
7	24	4
8	24	4
9	24	3
10	23	3
11	23	3
12	22	2
13	22	2
14	22	2
15	22	2
16	21	1
17	21	1
18	21	1
19	22	1
20	22	1
21	22	1
22	22	1
23	22	0
24	22	0
25	22	0
26	23	0
27	23	0
28	23	0
29	24	0
30	24	0
31	24	0

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100