Soledad weather in May

In May, Soledad sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 0.5 in of rain across 2.3 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% 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 Soledad's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soledad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
6th warmest
Overnight low
49°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0.5 in
2.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:04 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
32%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

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

Density
2,115/km²
people per km²
Founded
1921

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 71°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Soledad reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17147
27147
37147
47147
57248
67248
77248
87248
97248
107248
117248
127248
137348
147348
157349
167349
177349
187349
197349
207349
217449
227449
237450
247450
257550
267550
277550
287650
297651
307651
317651

Soledad 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
Jan58° / 40°3.07.99.84.5
Feb59° / 41°3.08.510.64.8
Mar63° / 43°2.47.811.75.9
Apr67° / 45°1.14.612.97.3
May73° / 49°0.52.313.98.5
Jun80° / 53°0.10.514.48.7
Jul86° / 58°0.00.314.27.0
Aug86° / 58°0.00.213.47.0
Sep82° / 56°0.10.712.28.3
Oct75° / 51°0.6211.18.8
Nov64° / 44°1.24.210.16.8
Dec57° / 39°2.67.29.64.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37327
47327
57327
67327
77327
87327
97327
107426
117426
127426
137525
147525
157525
167624
177624
187624
197822
207822
217822
227921
238020
248119
258218
268218
278218
288317
298317
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Soledad gets around 0.5 in of rain over 2.3 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 8% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
59
69
79
89
99
109
119
129
139
149
159
169
179
188
198
208
217
227
236
246
255
265
275
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 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
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May, the windiest month of the year.

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 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 5:18 AM to 4:54 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:186:47
213.55:176:47
313.55:166:48
413.65:156:49
513.65:146:50
613.65:136:51
713.75:126:52
813.75:116:53
913.75:106:54
1013.85:096:54
1113.85:086:55
1213.85:076:56
1313.85:066:57
1413.95:056:58
1513.95:046:59
1613.95:046:59
1714.05:037:00
1814.05:027:01
1914.05:017:02
2014.05:017:03
2114.15:007:04
2214.14:597:04
2314.14:597:05
2414.14:587:06
2514.24:577:07
2614.24:577:07
2714.24:567:08
2814.24:567:09
2914.24:557:10
3014.34:557:10
3114.34:547:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.55 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.4Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.6Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.7Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.8Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.8Intense
287.9Intense
297.9Intense
307.9Intense
317.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Soledad?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Soledad in May

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

In May, Soledad sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 49°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Soledad 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 27 mi away) is warmest in September 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
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug59Bracing
Sep59Cool
Oct59Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec56Bracing

UV index in Soledad in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Soledad peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 21UV 11Dec 14UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Soledad 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 Soledad 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 Soledad?

Soledad sits at 36.4°N, 121.3°W, 190 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greenfield, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Soledad

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Soledad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 ft around an average of 213 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,354 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Soledad is covered by cropland (59%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (44%), trees (23%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
433 ft
10 miles
4,354 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Greenfield 8.7 mi · Salinas 25 mi · Big Sur 29 mi · Hollister 30 mi · Prunedale 31 mi · Seaside 32 mi · Marina 32 mi · Monterey 34 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 Soledad (36.4247°, -121.3263°, elevation 190 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).