Shafter weather in May

In May, Shafter sees average daytime highs of 83°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 0.4 in of rain across 2 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 80°F in the first days to 86°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Shafter's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shafter's year-round climate.

Daytime high
83°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
0.4 in
2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
4:57 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
29%
6th clearest
Wind
4 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Shafter is city in Kern County, California, United States.

Density
253/km²
people per km²
Founded
1938

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 80°F in the first days to 86°F by the end.

A typical May day in Shafter reaches about 83°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 94°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18057
28057
38057
48157
58158
68158
78158
88258
98258
108258
118259
128259
138259
148359
158359
168360
178360
188360
198460
208460
218461
228461
238561
248561
258562
268662
278662
288662
298762
308763
318763

How May really feels in Shafter

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.

Shafter 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 43°1.86.69.95.4
Feb64° / 46°1.87.110.76.2
Mar69° / 49°1.75.911.77.2
Apr75° / 53°0.93.812.98.2
May83° / 60°0.4213.87.4
Jun91° / 66°0.10.514.44.8
Jul97° / 72°0.00.314.22.6
Aug96° / 71°0.00.213.32.9
Sep90° / 66°0.00.412.25.3
Oct79° / 58°0.4211.18.4
Nov67° / 48°0.83.710.17.5
Dec60° / 42°1.55.79.65.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27723
37723
47921
57921
67921
77921
87921
97921
107921
118020
128020
138119
148119
158218
168317
178317
188317
198416
208416
218416
228515
238515
248515
258515
268614
278614
288614
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Shafter gets around 0.4 in of rain over 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 6% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
29
39
48
58
68
77
87
97
107
117
127
137
147
157
167
177
186
196
206
216
226
236
245
255
265
274
284
294
304
314

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19640
29640
39640
49640
59640
69640
79640
89640
99640
109550
119550
129550
139460
149460
159460
169460
179361
189271
199271
209271
219271
229271
239181
249181
259181
269181
279181
289091
299091
309091
3189101

Wind in May

Winds average 4 mph in May, the windiest month of the year.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 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 5:12 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:126:37
213.55:116:38
313.55:106:39
413.55:086:39
513.55:076:40
613.65:066:41
713.65:056:42
813.65:046:43
913.75:036:44
1013.75:036:44
1113.75:026:45
1213.85:016:46
1313.85:006:47
1413.84:596:48
1513.84:586:48
1613.94:576:49
1713.94:576:50
1813.94:566:51
1913.94:556:52
2014.04:546:52
2114.04:546:53
2214.04:536:54
2314.04:526:55
2414.14:526:56
2514.14:516:56
2614.14:516:57
2714.14:506:58
2814.14:506:58
2914.24:496:59
3014.24:497:00
3114.24:497:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.62 kWh/m² to a high of 8.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.4Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.6Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.6Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.7Intense
197.7Intense
207.7Intense
217.8Intense
227.8Intense
237.8Intense
247.8Intense
257.9Intense
267.9Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
298.0Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Shafter?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Shafter for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Shafter in May

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

In May, Shafter sees daytime highs around 83°F and nights near 60°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Shafter in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shafter peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 highVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 16UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shafter 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 Shafter is worst in December — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.1× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodDec 1740 µg/m³Jun 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul10Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Shafter?

Shafter sits at 35.5°N, 119.3°W, 348 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wasco, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Shafter

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shafter has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 348 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 427 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,635 ft.

The land around Shafter is covered by trees (36%), cropland (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (35%) and cropland (33%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
69 ft
10 miles
427 ft
50 miles
8,635 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Wasco 7.5 mi · Oildale 16 mi · Bakersfield 17 mi · Delano 19 mi · Lamont 26 mi · Arvin 32 mi · Porterville 42 mi · Corcoran 44 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 Shafter (35.5005°, -119.2718°, elevation 348 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. 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).