Austin weather in May

In May, Austin sees average daytime highs of 85°F and overnight lows near 67°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 82°F in the first days to 88°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Austin's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Austin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
85°
5th warmest
Overnight low
67°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:42 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Austin is capital city of the U.S. state of Texas and seat of Travis County.

Density
1,233/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

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 82°F in the first days to 88°F by the end.

A typical May day in Austin reaches about 85°F in the afternoon and slips back to 67°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 78°F and 92°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18262
28263
38263
48363
58364
68364
78364
88365
98365
108465
118465
128466
138466
148566
158566
168567
178567
188567
198667
208668
218668
228668
238768
248769
258769
268769
278869
288870
298870
308970
318970

How May really feels in Austin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 7 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
7
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Austin weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 42°2.47.110.35.5
Feb65° / 45°2.47.410.96.2
Mar72° / 52°2.9911.86.9
Apr79° / 59°3.38.712.77.0
May85° / 67°4.610.813.55.2
Jun91° / 73°3.09.213.93.7
Jul95° / 75°1.65.713.82.9
Aug95° / 75°2.35.613.12.7
Sep89° / 70°3.0812.24.4
Oct81° / 60°3.37.211.37.0
Nov70° / 50°2.96.710.57.1
Dec62° / 43°2.87.410.15.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34753
44753
54654
64654
74654
84654
94753
104753
114852
124852
135050
145050
155149
165149
175149
185248
195248
205248
215347
225347
235347
245347
255446
265446
275545
285644
295743
305743
315842

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Austin gets around 4.6 in of rain over 10.8 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
334
434
535
635
735
835
935
1034
1134
1234
1334
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2134
2234
2334
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3034
3134

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 60% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1291221317
2281221328
3271120339
4251120349
52411203510
62311203611
72111193612
82011193713
91911193813
101711193914
111611193915
121511194015
131411194016
141310194116
151210204216
161110204317
17109204417
1898204518
1998194618
2087194719
2177194820
2266194820
2356184921
2455185022
2545175123
2635175124
2734165225
2824165127
2924155128
3014145229
3114145130

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:537:03
213.25:537:04
313.25:527:04
413.25:517:05
513.35:507:06
613.35:497:06
713.35:487:07
813.35:477:08
913.45:477:08
1013.45:467:09
1113.45:457:10
1213.45:447:10
1313.55:447:11
1413.55:437:12
1513.55:427:12
1613.55:427:13
1713.55:417:14
1813.65:407:14
1913.65:407:15
2013.65:397:15
2113.65:397:16
2213.65:387:17
2313.75:387:17
2413.75:377:18
2513.75:377:19
2613.75:367:19
2713.75:367:20
2813.75:367:20
2913.85:357:21
3013.85:357:22
3113.85:357:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.69 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Austin?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Austin in May

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

In May, Austin sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 67°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Austin in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Austin peaks around July 24 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 24UV 11Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May10Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Austin 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 Austin is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Austin?

Austin sits at 30.3°N, 97.7°W, 489 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is University of Texas, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Austin

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Austin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft around an average of 525 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,647 ft.

The land around Austin is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and trees (33%) within 2 miles, trees (50%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (44%) and grassland (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
240 ft
10 miles
719 ft
50 miles
1,647 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: University of Texas 1.2 mi · Jollyville 12 mi · Pflugerville 14 mi · Brushy Creek 17 mi · Cedar Park 17 mi · Round Rock 17 mi · Kyle 21 mi · Hutto 22 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 Austin (30.2672°, -97.7431°, elevation 489 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. 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).