Imperial Beach weather in May

In May, Imperial Beach sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 0.4 in of rain across 2.1 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 65°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Imperial Beach's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Imperial Beach's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
7th warmest
Overnight low
58°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0.4 in
2.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:55 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
37%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Imperial Beach is city in San Diego County, California, United States.

Density
2,360/km²
people per km²
Founded
1887

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 65°F through the month.

A typical May day in Imperial Beach reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 7°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°F warmer than April and about 3°F cooler than June.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16457
26457
36457
46457
56457
66557
76557
86557
96557
106557
116557
126557
136557
146557
156557
166557
176558
186558
196558
206558
216558
226558
236558
246558
256558
266558
276558
286558
296558
306558
316558

Imperial Beach weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 52°2.56.110.15.8
Feb61° / 52°3.1710.85.4
Mar61° / 53°2.15.911.85.8
Apr63° / 55°1.04.212.86.7
May65° / 58°0.42.113.67.5
Jun68° / 60°0.10.414.18.3
Jul72° / 65°0.10.413.98.8
Aug74° / 66°0.00.313.29.2
Sep73° / 65°0.20.812.29.0
Oct70° / 62°0.62.411.28.3
Nov66° / 56°1.03.610.37.4
Dec61° / 52°2.05.79.96.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37525
47525
57525
67426
77426
87426
97525
107624
117624
127624
137624
147822
157822
167822
177921
187921
197921
207921
218020
228020
238020
248020
258119
268119
278119
288119
298020
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Imperial Beach gets around 0.4 in of rain over 2.1 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 7% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
211
311
410
510
610
710
89
99
109
119
128
138
147
157
166
176
186
196
205
215
225
234
244
254
264
273
283
293
303
313

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 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
180200
279210
378220
478220
577230
676240
776240
875250
974260
1073270
1173270
1272280
1371290
1470300
1570300
1668311
1768311
1867321
1967321
2066331
2165341
2264351
2363361
2462371
2560391
2659401
2758411
2857421
2955441
3054451
3152462

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:08 AM to 4:47 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:086:24
213.35:076:24
313.35:066:25
413.45:056:26
513.45:046:27
613.45:036:27
713.45:026:28
813.55:016:29
913.55:006:30
1013.54:596:30
1113.54:586:31
1213.64:586:32
1313.64:576:33
1413.64:566:33
1513.64:556:34
1613.74:556:35
1713.74:546:35
1813.74:536:36
1913.74:536:37
2013.84:526:38
2113.84:516:38
2213.84:516:39
2313.84:506:40
2413.84:506:40
2513.94:496:41
2613.94:496:42
2713.94:486:42
2813.94:486:43
2913.94:486:44
3013.94:476:44
3114.04:476:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 7.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.39 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.6Intense
287.6Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Imperial Beach?

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

7.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Imperial Beach for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Imperial Beach in May

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

In May, Imperial Beach sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 58°F. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Imperial Beach in May

The nearest coast averages about 63°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 28 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May63Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul68Refreshing
Aug70Refreshing
Sep69Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in Imperial Beach in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Imperial Beach peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Imperial Beach 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 Imperial Beach is worst in October — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.4× the cleanest month (May, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateOct 1631 µg/m³May 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr9Good
May6Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug9Good
Sep16Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Imperial Beach?

Imperial Beach sits at 32.6°N, 117.1°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Chula Vista, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Imperial Beach

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Imperial Beach has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 ft around an average of 16 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,152 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,450 ft.

The land around Imperial Beach is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and water (35%) within 2 miles, water (43%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 10 miles, and water (35%) and shrubs (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
105 ft
10 miles
1,152 ft
50 miles
6,450 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Chula Vista 4.3 mi · National City 6.8 mi · Coronado 8.1 mi · Tijuana 8.7 mi · San Diego 9.3 mi · Pórticos de San Antonio 11 mi · La Presa 11 mi · La Joya 12 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 Imperial Beach (32.5839°, -117.1131°, elevation 20 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).