Arlington weather in May

In May, Arlington sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 12.1 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Arlington's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
5th warmest
Overnight low
47°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
12.1 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
4:36 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
66%
6th clearest
Wind
4 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Arlington is city in northern Snohomish County, Washington, United States.

Density
790/km²
people per km²
Founded
1903

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 60°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical May day in Arlington reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 4°F cooler than June.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15944
26044
36045
46045
56045
66045
76146
86146
96146
106146
116146
126247
136247
146247
156247
166247
176248
186348
196348
206348
216348
226349
236349
246449
256449
266449
276449
286449
296449
306450
316450

How May really feels in Arlington

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.

Arlington 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° / 36°9.319.15.38.60.6
Feb47° / 36°6.115.54.59.91.2
Mar51° / 38°7.619.63.711.61.9
Apr56° / 42°5.616.4113.43.2
May62° / 47°3.812.10.114.95.0
Jun66° / 51°2.89.8015.86.0
Jul72° / 55°1.35.2015.57.8
Aug73° / 55°1.65.5014.17.8
Sep67° / 50°3.48.8012.46.5
Oct57° / 44°7.214.9010.63.7
Nov48° / 38°10.419.22.291.4
Dec43° / 35°9.319.26.18.20.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23862
33862
43961
53961
64060
73961
83961
93961
103961
113961
123862
133862
143763
153763
163664
173664
183565
193565
203565
213565
223466
233466
243466
253466
263565
273565
283565
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Arlington gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
245
344
443
542
641
740
839
939
1038
1138
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1737
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2339
2439
2539
2639
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21973
22973
23973
24973
25964
26964
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 4 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 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 4:58 AM to 4:20 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.24:587:13
214.34:577:14
314.34:557:16
414.44:537:17
514.44:527:19
614.54:507:20
714.54:497:22
814.64:477:23
914.64:457:24
1014.74:447:26
1114.74:437:27
1214.84:417:28
1314.84:407:30
1414.94:387:31
1514.94:377:33
1615.04:367:34
1715.04:347:35
1815.14:337:36
1915.14:327:38
2015.14:317:39
2115.24:307:40
2215.24:287:41
2315.34:277:43
2415.34:267:44
2515.34:257:45
2615.44:247:46
2715.44:237:47
2815.44:237:48
2915.54:227:50
3015.54:217:51
3115.54:207:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Arlington

In seasonPeak

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

Arlington'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 Arlington?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Arlington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Arlington in May

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

In May, Arlington sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Arlington 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 35 mi away) is warmest in August at about 53°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
Aug53Bracing
Sep53Bracing
Oct50Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec47Bracing

UV index in Arlington 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 Arlington 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 Arlington 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 Arlington is worst in August — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 2119 µg/m³Dec 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul10Good
Aug20Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Arlington?

Arlington sits at 48.2°N, 122.1°W, 115 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Marysville, 11 mi away.

Topography around Arlington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Arlington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 479 ft around an average of 157 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,297 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,755 ft.

The land around Arlington is covered by trees (51%) and grassland (32%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) within 10 miles, and trees (66%) and water (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
479 ft
10 miles
3,297 ft
50 miles
10,755 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
May weather nearby: Marysville 11 mi · Lake Stevens 13 mi · West Lake Stevens 14 mi · Everett 16 mi · Mount Vernon 18 mi · Mukilteo 19 mi · Eastmont 21 mi · Silver Firs 23 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 Arlington (48.1987°, -122.1251°, elevation 115 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).