Pacific Grove weather in May

In May, Pacific Grove sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 0.6 in of rain across 3.3 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 54°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Pacific Grove's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pacific Grove's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
9th warmest
Overnight low
52°
6th coldest
Rainfall
0.6 in
3.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:06 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
44%
7th clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
7.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Pacific Grove is city in Monterey County, California, United States.

Density
1,517/km²
people per km²
Founded
1875

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 54°F through the month.

A typical May day in Pacific Grove reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 2°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 57°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

40°45°50°55°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15451
25451
35451
45451
55451
65451
75451
85451
95451
105452
115452
125452
135452
145452
155452
165452
175452
185452
195452
205452
215452
225452
235452
245452
255452
265452
275452
285452
295552
305552
315552

Pacific Grove weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan55° / 51°4.5109.83.6
Feb54° / 51°4.59.910.63.3
Mar54° / 51°3.39.211.73.4
Apr54° / 51°1.55.812.93.6
May54° / 52°0.63.313.94.0
Jun55° / 53°0.21.314.54.6
Jul57° / 55°0.00.114.25.2
Aug59° / 56°0.10.313.45.8
Sep60° / 57°0.10.712.26.2
Oct60° / 56°0.92.711.16.0
Nov57° / 54°2.15.8104.7
Dec55° / 52°4.09.69.53.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26931
36931
46931
57030
67030
77030
86931
97030
107030
117030
127129
137030
147030
157129
167129
177030
186931
196931
206931
216832
226832
236832
246733
256733
266832
276832
286733
296832
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pacific Grove gets around 0.6 in of rain over 3.3 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 10% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
212
312
412
511
611
711
811
911
1011
1111
1211
1311
1411
1511
1611
1711
1811
1911
2011
2111
2211
2310
2410
259
269
278
288
298
308
317

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:216:49
213.55:196:50
313.55:186:51
413.65:176:52
513.65:166:53
613.65:156:54
713.75:146:55
813.75:136:55
913.75:126:56
1013.85:116:57
1113.85:106:58
1213.85:096:59
1313.95:087:00
1413.95:077:01
1513.95:067:01
1613.95:067:02
1714.05:057:03
1814.05:047:04
1914.05:037:05
2014.15:027:06
2114.15:027:06
2214.15:017:07
2314.15:007:08
2414.15:007:09
2514.24:597:10
2614.24:597:10
2714.24:587:11
2814.24:587:12
2914.34:577:12
3014.34:577:13
3114.34:567:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.49 kWh/m² to a high of 7.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.22 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.1Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Pacific Grove

In seasonPeak

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

Pacific Grove's rainy season runs November–March, 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 Pacific Grove?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

May is a reasonable time to visit Pacific Grove for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pacific Grove in May

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

In May, Pacific Grove sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 52°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layer

Sea temperature near Pacific Grove in May

The nearest coast averages about 54°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 58°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

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

52°54°56°58°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov57Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Pacific Grove 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 Pacific Grove peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Pacific Grove 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 Pacific Grove is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (June, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1816 µg/m³Jun 186 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun6Good
Jul6Good
Aug17Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pacific Grove?

Pacific Grove sits at 36.6°N, 121.9°W, 151 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Monterey, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Pacific Grove

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pacific Grove has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 ft around an average of 118 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,949 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Pacific Grove is covered by water (45%), trees (25%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, water (61%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and water (35%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
778 ft
10 miles
1,949 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Monterey 1.9 mi · Seaside 3.7 mi · Marina 8.1 mi · Salinas 15 mi · Prunedale 17 mi · Watsonville 22 mi · Big Sur 25 mi · Santa Cruz 25 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 Pacific Grove (36.6177°, -121.9166°, elevation 151 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).