Isla Vista weather in May

In May, Isla Vista sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 0.4 in of rain across 1.8 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 69°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Isla Vista's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Isla Vista's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
6th warmest
Overnight low
53°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0.4 in
1.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:02 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
26%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.3
out of 10

Isla Vista is unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

Density
4,633/km²
people per km²

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 69°F through the month.

A typical May day in Isla Vista reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16852
26852
36952
46952
56952
66952
76953
86953
96953
106953
116953
126953
136953
146953
156953
166953
176953
186953
196954
206954
216954
226954
237054
247054
257054
267055
277055
287055
297155
307155
317155

Isla Vista weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 46°3.76.20.4105.5
Feb60° / 46°3.76.60.710.75.3
Mar62° / 47°2.75.80.611.76.2
Apr65° / 49°0.930.312.87.5
May69° / 53°0.41.8013.88.3
Jun74° / 58°0.10.5014.39.3
Jul78° / 62°0.10.7014.19.2
Aug78° / 63°0.00.2013.39.2
Sep76° / 60°0.10.5012.29.4
Oct72° / 56°0.71.9011.18.8
Nov65° / 50°1.030.110.27.5
Dec60° / 46°2.45.10.39.75.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
48020
58020
68020
78020
88119
98119
108119
118119
128218
138317
148317
158416
168515
178515
188515
198515
208614
218713
228713
238713
248812
258812
268812
278812
288812
298812
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Isla Vista gets around 0.4 in of rain over 1.8 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 6% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
27
37
47
57
67
77
87
97
107
117
127
137
146
156
166
176
186
195
205
215
225
235
244
254
264
274
284
294
304
314

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
21982
22982
23973
24973
25973
26964
27964
28964
29955
30955
31955

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
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 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:16 AM to 4:54 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:166:37
213.45:156:38
313.45:146:39
413.55:136:40
513.55:126:41
613.55:116:41
713.55:106:42
813.65:096:43
913.65:086:44
1013.65:076:45
1113.75:066:45
1213.75:056:46
1313.75:046:47
1413.75:046:48
1513.85:036:49
1613.85:026:49
1713.85:016:50
1813.85:016:51
1913.95:006:52
2013.94:596:52
2113.94:596:53
2213.94:586:54
2314.04:576:55
2414.04:576:55
2514.04:566:56
2614.04:566:57
2714.04:556:57
2814.14:556:58
2914.14:546:59
3014.14:546:59
3114.14:547:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 8.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.6Intense
37.6Intense
47.6Intense
57.7Intense
67.7Intense
77.7Intense
87.7Intense
97.7Intense
107.8Intense
117.8Intense
127.8Intense
137.8Intense
147.8Intense
157.9Intense
167.9Intense
177.9Intense
187.9Intense
197.9Intense
207.9Intense
218.0Intense
228.0Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
258.0Intense
268.0Intense
278.1Intense
288.1Intense
298.1Intense
308.1Intense
318.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Isla Vista?

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

8.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Isla Vista for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Isla Vista in May

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

In May, Isla Vista sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 53°F. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Isla Vista in May

The nearest coast averages about 57°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 September at about 64°F and coldest in April near 56°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

55°60°65°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan58Bracing
Feb57Bracing
Mar57Bracing
Apr56Bracing
May57Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul63Cool
Aug64Cool
Sep64Cool
Oct64Cool
Nov61Cool
Dec58Bracing

UV index in Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista peaks around June 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista is worst in July — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (February, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateJul 2027 µg/m³Feb 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May6Good
Jun6Good
Jul28Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Isla Vista?

Isla Vista sits at 34.4°N, 119.9°W, 46 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Goleta, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Isla Vista

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Isla Vista has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 20 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,012 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,806 ft.

The land around Isla Vista is covered by water (47%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 2 miles, water (54%) and trees (30%) within 10 miles, and water (46%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
4,012 ft
50 miles
8,806 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Goleta 2.5 mi · Santa Barbara 9.3 mi · Ventura 34 mi · Lompoc 37 mi · Oxnard 42 mi · Port Hueneme 42 mi · Orcutt 45 mi · Santa Paula 46 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 Isla Vista (34.4133°, -119.861°, elevation 46 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).