Santa Clara weather in May

In May, Santa Clara sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 0.9 in of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 71°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Santa Clara's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Clara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
6th warmest
Overnight low
50°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0.9 in
3.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:04 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
37%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Santa Clara is city in Santa Clara County, California, United States.

Density
2,647/km²
people per km²
Founded
1777

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 68°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical May day in Santa Clara reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 80°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)
16848
26849
36849
46849
56849
66849
76849
86849
96849
106849
116949
126949
136949
146949
156949
166950
176950
186950
196950
206950
216950
226950
237050
247051
257051
267051
277051
287151
297151
307151
317151

Santa Clara 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
Jan57° / 42°5.19.19.74.2
Feb59° / 44°5.39.310.64.6
Mar62° / 45°3.99.311.75.4
Apr65° / 47°1.85.612.96.7
May69° / 50°0.93.4147.8
Jun74° / 53°0.2114.59.1
Jul78° / 56°0.00.114.39.4
Aug78° / 56°0.00.213.49.2
Sep78° / 56°0.10.512.39.2
Oct73° / 52°1.23118.5
Nov63° / 46°2.46106.2
Dec57° / 42°4.79.29.54.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% 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
47030
57030
67030
77030
87030
96931
106931
116931
126832
136931
146931
157030
166931
176931
187030
197030
207129
217129
227228
237327
247327
257525
267525
277525
287624
297624
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Santa Clara gets around 0.9 in of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
212
312
412
512
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1911
2011
2111
2210
2310
249
259
268
278
288
297
307
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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20964
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31946

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:19 AM to 4:54 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 7:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:196:51
213.65:186:51
313.65:176:52
413.65:166:53
513.75:156:54
613.75:146:55
713.75:136:56
813.85:126:57
913.85:116:58
1013.85:106:59
1113.95:097:00
1213.95:087:01
1313.95:077:01
1413.95:067:02
1514.05:057:03
1614.05:047:04
1714.05:037:05
1814.15:027:06
1914.15:027:07
2014.15:017:07
2114.15:007:08
2214.24:597:09
2314.24:597:10
2414.24:587:11
2514.24:587:11
2614.34:577:12
2714.34:567:13
2814.34:567:14
2914.34:557:15
3014.34:557:15
3114.44:547:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.3Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Santa Clara

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Clara'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 Santa Clara?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Santa Clara for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Clara in May

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

In May, Santa Clara sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 50°F. Pack sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Clara 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 at the nearest coast (about 23 mi away) is warmest in August at about 59°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
Jan54Bracing
Feb54Bracing
Mar54Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug59Bracing
Sep59Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (June, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateAug 1824 µg/m³Jun 1110 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul11Good
Aug25Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Clara?

Santa Clara sits at 37.4°N, 122.0°W, 75 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is San Jose, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Santa Clara

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Clara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 75 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,552 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,373 ft.

The land around Santa Clara is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and water (30%), grassland (27%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
2,552 ft
50 miles
4,373 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: San Jose 3.7 mi · Sunnyvale 4.3 mi · Campbell 4.3 mi · Cupertino 5.0 mi · Milpitas 5.6 mi · Alum Rock 6.8 mi · Saratoga 7.5 mi · Mountain View 7.5 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 Santa Clara (37.3541°, -121.9552°, elevation 75 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).