Burien weather in May

In May, Burien sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 12 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 61°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Burien's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burien's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:39 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
66%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Burien is city in King County, Washington State, United States.

Density
1,925/km²
people per km²
Founded
1993

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 61°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical May day in Burien reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16046
26146
36147
46147
56147
66247
76247
86247
96248
106248
116348
126348
136349
146349
156449
166449
176449
186450
196450
206450
216450
226550
236551
246551
256551
266551
276551
286551
296651
306652
316652

Burien 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
Jan46° / 38°6.918.42.28.71.0
Feb49° / 39°4.714.51.89.91.6
Mar52° / 40°5.517.50.811.62.3
Apr57° / 44°4.514.90.113.33.5
May64° / 49°3.012014.95.3
Jun68° / 53°2.39.5015.76.3
Jul74° / 57°1.05015.47.9
Aug75° / 58°1.34.8014.18.0
Sep69° / 53°2.68.4012.46.8
Oct59° / 47°5.314.1010.64.2
Nov50° / 42°7.6180.69.11.9
Dec45° / 38°7.017.62.18.30.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33763
43763
53862
63862
73862
83862
93862
103862
113763
123763
133763
143565
153565
163466
173466
183367
193367
203268
213367
223367
233367
243367
253367
263367
273565
283565
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Burien gets around 3.0 in of rain over 12 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
242
342
441
541
640
740
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1839
1939
2039
2139
2238
2338
2437
2537
2636
2736
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129820
139820
149820
159820
169820
179730
189730
199640
209640
219640
229550
239550
249460
259460
269460
279370
289271
299271
309181
319181

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
35calm
45calm
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 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:01 AM to 4:24 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:017:12
214.24:597:13
314.34:587:15
414.34:567:16
514.44:557:18
614.44:537:19
714.54:517:20
814.54:507:22
914.64:487:23
1014.64:477:24
1114.74:467:26
1214.74:447:27
1314.84:437:28
1414.84:417:30
1514.84:407:31
1614.94:397:32
1714.94:387:34
1815.04:367:35
1915.04:357:36
2015.14:347:37
2115.14:337:39
2215.14:327:40
2315.24:317:41
2415.24:307:42
2515.24:297:43
2615.34:287:44
2715.34:277:45
2815.34:267:47
2915.44:257:48
3015.44:257:49
3115.44:247:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.3Bright
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
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Burien

In seasonPeak

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

Burien'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 Burien?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Burien for sightseeing.

What to pack for Burien in May

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

In May, Burien sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Burien 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 Burien 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 Burien 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 Burien is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodSep 1322 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burien?

Burien sits at 47.5°N, 122.3°W, 377 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is SeaTac, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Burien

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Burien has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft around an average of 256 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 922 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14,075 ft.

The land around Burien is covered by trees (47%), artificial surfaces (26%) and water (21%) within 2 miles, trees (37%), water (36%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
472 ft
10 miles
922 ft
50 miles
14,075 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: SeaTac 3.1 mi · Tukwila 3.7 mi · Des Moines 5.0 mi · Bryn Mawr-Skyway 5.0 mi · Renton 6.2 mi · Columbia City 7.5 mi · Kent 8.1 mi · Fairwood 8.7 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 Burien (47.4704°, -122.3468°, elevation 377 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).