Seaside weather in May

In May, Seaside sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 0.6 in of rain across 2.9 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 62°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 Seaside's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Seaside's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
6th warmest
Overnight low
48°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0.6 in
2.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:05 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
39%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Seaside is city in Monterey County, California, United States.

Density
1,360/km²
people per km²
Founded
1954

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 62°F through the month.

A typical May day in Seaside reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°F warmer than April and about 4°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16147
26147
36147
46147
56247
66247
76247
86247
96247
106247
116247
126247
136248
146248
156248
166248
176248
186248
196248
206248
216248
226248
236349
246349
256349
266349
276349
286349
296349
306449
316449

Seaside 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
Jan56° / 44°4.29.19.84.0
Feb57° / 44°4.29.610.64.0
Mar58° / 45°3.39.111.74.5
Apr59° / 46°1.55.512.95.3
May62° / 48°0.62.913.96.6
Jun66° / 50°0.10.614.58.1
Jul70° / 53°0.00.214.28.7
Aug71° / 54°0.10.213.48.8
Sep70° / 53°0.10.612.28.7
Oct67° / 51°0.92.511.17.9
Nov61° / 46°1.95.8105.7
Dec56° / 43°3.88.59.54.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37129
47129
57129
67228
77228
87228
97228
107228
117228
127228
137228
147327
157327
167327
177228
187228
197327
207327
217327
227327
237327
247426
257525
267525
277624
287624
297624
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Seaside gets around 0.6 in of rain over 2.9 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 9% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
211
311
411
511
611
711
811
911
1012
1112
1212
1311
1411
1511
1611
1710
1810
1910
209
219
228
238
247
257
266
276
285
295
305
315

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
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:20 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)
113.55:206:49
213.55:196:50
313.55:186:51
413.65:176:52
513.65:166:52
613.65:156:53
713.75:146:54
813.75:136:55
913.75:126:56
1013.85:116:57
1113.85:106:58
1213.85:096:59
1313.95:086:59
1413.95:077:00
1513.95:067:01
1613.95:057:02
1714.05:057:03
1814.05:047:04
1914.05:037:04
2014.15:027:05
2114.15:027:06
2214.15:017:07
2314.15:007:08
2414.15:007:08
2514.24:597:09
2614.24:587:10
2714.24:587:11
2814.24:577:11
2914.34:577:12
3014.34:567:13
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 7.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 8.03 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.4 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.6Intense
287.6Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Seaside

In seasonPeak

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

Seaside's rainy season runs December–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 Seaside?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Seaside for sightseeing.

What to pack for Seaside in May

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

In May, Seaside sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 48°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer.

sun protectiona warm layer

Sea temperature near Seaside 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 Seaside 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 Seaside 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 Seaside 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 Seaside is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Seaside?

Seaside sits at 36.6°N, 121.9°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Monterey, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Seaside

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Seaside has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 ft around an average of 89 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,218 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Seaside is covered by artificial surfaces (39%) and water (36%) within 2 miles, water (39%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and water (33%), trees (28%) and grassland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
417 ft
10 miles
2,218 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Monterey 2.5 mi · Pacific Grove 3.7 mi · Marina 5.6 mi · Salinas 12 mi · Prunedale 15 mi · Watsonville 21 mi · Big Sur 24 mi · Live Oak 27 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 Seaside (36.6111°, -121.8516°, elevation 23 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).