Olympia weather in May

In May, Olympia sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 10.2 wet days and about 14.8 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 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 Olympia's 6th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Olympia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
5th warmest
Overnight low
48°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
4:42 AM – 7:33 PM
Cloud cover
68%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Olympia is capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and seat of Thurston County.

Density
1,093/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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 65°F by the end.

A typical May day in Olympia reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 74°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)
16045
26145
36145
46146
56146
66246
76246
86246
96246
106247
116347
126347
136347
146347
156347
166448
176448
186448
196448
206448
216449
226449
236549
246549
256549
266549
276549
286549
296550
306650
316650

How May really feels in Olympia

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Olympia 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
Jan45° / 38°7.617.52.38.70.9
Feb48° / 38°5.314.42101.5
Mar52° / 40°6.317.61.111.62.2
Apr57° / 43°4.714.90.113.33.5
May63° / 48°2.910.2014.85.5
Jun68° / 52°1.87.5015.66.5
Jul74° / 55°0.73.1015.38.2
Aug75° / 55°1.040148.2
Sep69° / 52°2.17012.47.0
Oct59° / 47°5.112.7010.64.3
Nov50° / 41°8.417.60.69.11.8
Dec45° / 37°8.117.12.38.40.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33466
43565
53466
63466
73466
83466
93466
103367
113367
123169
133169
143070
152971
163070
172971
182971
192971
202971
212971
223169
233169
243169
253268
263268
273268
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Olympia gets around 2.9 in of rain over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
238
338
437
536
636
735
835
934
1034
1134
1234
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2032
2132
2232
2331
2430
2530
2629
2729
2829
2928
3028
3128

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23982
24982
25982
26982
27973
28973
29973
30964
31964

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
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 5:04 AM to 4:28 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:047:13
214.25:037:15
314.35:017:16
414.34:597:17
514.34:587:19
614.44:567:20
714.44:557:21
814.54:537:23
914.54:527:24
1014.64:507:25
1114.64:497:27
1214.74:487:28
1314.74:467:29
1414.84:457:31
1514.84:447:32
1614.84:427:33
1714.94:417:34
1814.94:407:36
1915.04:397:37
2015.04:387:38
2115.04:377:39
2215.14:367:41
2315.14:357:42
2415.24:347:43
2515.24:337:44
2615.24:327:45
2715.34:317:46
2815.34:307:47
2915.34:297:48
3015.34:287:49
3115.44:287:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Olympia

In seasonPeak

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

Olympia'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 Olympia?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Olympia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Olympia in May

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

In May, Olympia sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Olympia 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 Olympia peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Olympia?

Olympia sits at 47.0°N, 122.9°W, 95 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Tumwater, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Olympia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Olympia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 ft around an average of 135 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,241 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,555 ft.

The land around Olympia is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (63%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
364 ft
10 miles
2,241 ft
50 miles
6,555 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Tumwater 2.5 mi · Lacey 3.7 mi · Lakewood 20 mi · University Place 21 mi · Spanaway 22 mi · Centralia 23 mi · Parkland 23 mi · Frederickson 26 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 Olympia (47.0449°, -122.9017°, elevation 95 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).