San Marcos weather in May

In May, San Marcos sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 0.5 in of rain across 2.1 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 71°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 San Marcos's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Marcos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
6th warmest
Overnight low
56°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0.5 in
2.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:54 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
39%
7th clearest
Wind
5 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

San Marcos is suburb of San Diego, California, United States.

Density
1,471/km²
people per km²
Founded
1963

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 71°F through the month.

A typical May day in San Marcos reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17055
27055
37055
47055
57056
67056
77056
87056
97056
107056
117056
127056
137056
147056
157056
167056
177056
187056
197057
207057
217157
227157
237157
247157
257157
267157
277157
287157
297158
307258
317258

San Marcos 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan64° / 47°2.95.810.16.7
Feb64° / 48°3.66.810.86.4
Mar65° / 50°2.26.211.76.8
Apr68° / 53°1.14.112.87.5
May71° / 56°0.52.113.78.1
Jun75° / 60°0.10.514.19.1
Jul80° / 65°0.10.4148.8
Aug82° / 66°0.00.213.28.5
Sep81° / 64°0.10.712.28.6
Oct76° / 59°0.72.611.28.7
Nov70° / 52°1.13.510.37.9
Dec64° / 47°2.15.19.96.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 29%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
46832
56832
66832
76832
86832
96832
106832
116832
127030
137030
147030
157030
167129
177129
187129
197129
207228
217228
227228
237327
247327
257327
267525
277525
287525
297525
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

San Marcos gets around 0.5 in of rain over 2.1 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 7% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
211
311
411
510
610
710
89
99
109
119
128
138
148
157
167
177
186
196
206
216
225
235
245
254
264
274
283
293
303
313

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 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
172253
271263
370273
470282
569292
668302
767312
865323
964333
1063343
1162353
1261363
1361363
1459374
1558384
1658384
1757394
1857394
1955405
2054415
2153425
2252435
2350446
2449456
2547467
2646477
2744497
2842508
2941518
3039529
3137549

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 5:07 AM to 4:46 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:076:25
213.35:066:26
313.45:056:26
413.45:046:27
513.45:036:28
613.45:026:29
713.55:016:29
813.55:006:30
913.54:596:31
1013.64:586:32
1113.64:586:32
1213.64:576:33
1313.64:566:34
1413.74:556:35
1513.74:546:35
1613.74:546:36
1713.74:536:37
1813.84:526:38
1913.84:526:38
2013.84:516:39
2113.84:506:40
2213.84:506:40
2313.94:496:41
2413.94:496:42
2513.94:486:42
2613.94:486:43
2713.94:476:44
2814.04:476:44
2914.04:476:45
3014.04:466:46
3114.04:466:46

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.08 kWh/m² to a high of 7.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.36 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.2Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.4Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.6Intense
287.6Intense
297.6Intense
307.6Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit San Marcos?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit San Marcos for general sightseeing.

What to pack for San Marcos in May

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

In May, San Marcos sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 56°F. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near San Marcos in May

The nearest coast averages about 64°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 12 mi away) is warmest in August at about 71°F and coldest in January near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Oct 7 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May64Cool
Jun66Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug71Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in San Marcos 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 San Marcos peaks around July 11 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 highHighModerateJul 11UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Marcos 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 San Marcos is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1625 µg/m³May 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug15Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Marcos?

San Marcos sits at 33.1°N, 117.2°W, 581 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Escondido, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around San Marcos

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Marcos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 814 ft around an average of 699 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,093 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,537 ft.

The land around San Marcos is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, trees (35%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (27%) and water (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
814 ft
10 miles
2,093 ft
50 miles
8,537 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Escondido 5.0 mi · Vista 5.6 mi · Encinitas 11 mi · Carlsbad 11 mi · Oceanside 13 mi · Rancho Penasquitos 13 mi · Poway 14 mi · Mira Mesa 16 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 San Marcos (33.1434°, -117.1661°, elevation 581 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).