Juneau weather in May

In May, Juneau sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 5.4 in of precipitation across 16 wet days and about 16.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 18 min at the start of May to 17 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Juneau's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Juneau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
5th warmest
Overnight low
37°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.4 in
16 wet days
Daylight
16 h 24 min
3:41 AM – 8:07 PM
Cloud cover
72%
2nd clearest
Wind
4 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

Juneau is consolidated city-borough and capital of the U.S. state of Alaska.

Density
4/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 45°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical May day in Juneau reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14533
24533
34533
44633
54634
64634
74734
84734
94735
104835
114835
124935
134936
144936
155037
165037
175137
185138
195138
205238
215239
225239
235340
245340
255340
265441
275441
285441
295442
305542
315542

How May really feels in Juneau

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 11 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
11
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Juneau 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°9.819.819.46.80.0
Feb29° / 20°7.416.615.98.90.0
Mar33° / 22°7.217.917.711.40.0
Apr41° / 30°5.616.511.9140.2
May50° / 37°5.4163.616.41.9
Jun58° / 46°5.316.5017.83.3
Jul60° / 50°7.018.9017.23.7
Aug59° / 49°9.319.3015.13.5
Sep53° / 43°13.0210.212.52.2
Oct43° / 34°13.022.78.29.90.4
Nov33° / 24°10.320.918.67.50.0
Dec29° / 21°10.821.120.46.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42872
52971
62971
72971
83070
93070
103070
113268
123169
133169
143268
153268
163367
173268
183268
193268
203169
213070
223070
232971
242971
252773
262773
272575
282476
292377
302377
312179

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Juneau gets around 5.4 in of rain and snow over 16 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 51% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15427
25426
35426
45425
55324
65323
75221
85220
95119
105017
115016
124915
134914
144812
154811
164810
17489
18488
19487
20486
21495
22504
23504
24513
25523
26533
27543
28552
29562
30572
31572

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 4 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min at the start of May to 17 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 126 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:16 AM to 3:15 AM, and sunset from 7:34 PM to 8:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.34:167:34
215.44:137:36
315.54:117:38
415.54:087:41
515.64:067:43
615.74:037:45
715.84:017:47
815.93:597:50
915.93:567:52
1016.03:547:54
1116.13:527:56
1216.23:497:58
1316.23:478:01
1416.33:458:03
1516.43:438:05
1616.43:418:07
1716.53:398:09
1816.63:378:11
1916.63:358:13
2016.73:338:15
2116.83:318:17
2216.83:298:19
2316.93:278:21
2417.03:258:23
2517.03:248:25
2617.13:228:27
2717.13:208:29
2817.23:198:30
2917.23:178:32
3017.33:168:34
3117.43:158:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.09 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.09 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 5.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Juneau?

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

1.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Juneau.

What to pack for Juneau in May

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

In May, Juneau sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 37°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Juneau in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Juneau peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun7High
Jul9Very high
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Juneau?

Juneau sits at 58.3°N, 134.4°W, 56 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Whitehorse, 168 mi away.

TerraceDawson CityFort St. JohnPrince GeorgeEagle RiverAnchorageBadger

Topography around Juneau

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Juneau has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,556 ft around an average of 945 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,486 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,946 ft.

The land around Juneau is covered by trees (57%) within 2 miles, trees (40%) and water (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (35%), snow and ice (25%) and water (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,556 ft
10 miles
5,486 ft
50 miles
7,946 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Whitehorse 168 mi · Terrace 343 mi · Dawson City 431 mi · Fort St. John 525 mi · Prince George 541 mi · Eagle River 564 mi · Anchorage 574 mi · Badger 621 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 Juneau (58.3019°, -134.4197°, elevation 56 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).