Imperial weather in May

In May, Imperial sees average daytime highs of 96°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 0.0 in of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 93°F in the first days to 99°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% 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's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Imperial's year-round climate.

Daytime high
96°
5th warmest
Overnight low
66°
8th coldest
Rainfall
0.0 in
0.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:48 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
17%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
8.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Imperial is city in Imperial County, California, United States.

Density
1,127/km²
people per km²
Founded
1904

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 93°F in the first days to 99°F by the end.

A typical May day in Imperial reaches about 96°F in the afternoon and slips back to 66°F overnight — a 30°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 85°F and 105°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
19363
29363
39363
49363
59464
69464
79464
89464
99464
109565
119565
129565
139565
149565
159665
169666
179666
189666
199666
209666
219767
229767
239767
249767
259867
269868
279868
289968
299968
309969
3110069

How May really feels in Imperial

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 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
31
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.

Imperial 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan71° / 48°0.41.710.18.4
Feb75° / 50°0.5210.88.7
Mar82° / 54°0.31.111.87.9
Apr88° / 59°0.10.512.85.8
May96° / 66°0.00.213.73.1
Jun104° / 73°0.0014.10.4
Jul109° / 81°0.21.513.90.0
Aug108° / 82°0.32.513.20.0
Sep102° / 75°0.41.412.20.8
Oct91° / 64°0.20.711.24.8
Nov79° / 53°0.20.610.38.6
Dec70° / 47°0.41.59.98.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
2919
3919
4919
5919
6919
7919
8919
9919
10919
119010
129010
139010
14919
15928
16928
17928
18928
19928
20928
21919
22919
23919
24928
25928
26928
27928
28919
29919
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Imperial gets around 0.0 in of rain over 0.2 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 1% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
20
30
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
260
270
280
290
300
310

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 (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179820
189820
199820
209820
219730
229730
239730
249730
259640
269640
279640
289640
299640
309541
319541

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 5:01 AM to 4:40 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:016:18
213.35:006:19
313.34:596:19
413.44:586:20
513.44:576:21
613.44:566:22
713.54:556:22
813.54:546:23
913.54:536:24
1013.54:536:25
1113.64:526:25
1213.64:516:26
1313.64:506:27
1413.64:496:28
1513.74:496:28
1613.74:486:29
1713.74:476:30
1813.74:476:31
1913.84:466:31
2013.84:456:32
2113.84:456:33
2213.84:446:33
2313.84:446:34
2413.94:436:35
2513.94:436:35
2613.94:426:36
2713.94:426:37
2813.94:416:37
2914.04:416:38
3014.04:406:39
3114.04:406:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 8.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.33 kWh/m² to a high of 8.52 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 8.26 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.0Intense
28.0Intense
38.0Intense
48.1Intense
58.1Intense
68.1Intense
78.1Intense
88.1Intense
98.1Intense
108.2Intense
118.2Intense
128.2Intense
138.2Intense
148.2Intense
158.3Intense
168.3Intense
178.3Intense
188.3Intense
198.3Intense
208.3Intense
218.3Intense
228.4Intense
238.4Intense
248.4Intense
258.4Intense
268.4Intense
278.4Intense
288.4Intense
298.5Intense
308.5Intense
318.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Imperial?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Imperial. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Imperial in May

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

In May, Imperial sees daytime highs around 96°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Imperial in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Imperial peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Imperial?

Imperial sits at 32.8°N, 115.6°W, -59 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is El Centro, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Imperial

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Imperial has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 ft around an average of -62 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,545 ft.

The land around Imperial is covered by cropland (47%), bare terrain (27%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (69%) and bare terrain (21%) within 10 miles, and bare terrain (61%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
33 ft
10 miles
315 ft
50 miles
6,545 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: El Centro 3.7 mi · Brawley 9.3 mi · Calexico 12 mi · Santa Isabel 15 mi · Mexicali 17 mi · Puebla 23 mi · Ciudad Guadalupe Victoria 47 mi · San Luis 52 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 (32.8475°, -115.5694°, elevation -59 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).