Vancouver weather in May

In May, Vancouver sees average daytime highs of 66°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 12 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Vancouver's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vancouver's year-round climate.

Daytime high
66°
5th warmest
Overnight low
47°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
4:46 AM – 7:28 PM
Cloud cover
67%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Vancouver is seat of Clark County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,446/km²
people per km²
Founded
1825

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 63°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Vancouver reaches about 66°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16344
26344
36345
46345
56445
66445
76446
86446
96546
106546
116546
126547
136547
146547
156647
166647
176647
186648
196648
206648
216748
226748
236749
246749
256749
266749
276749
286849
296849
306849
316850

How May really feels in Vancouver

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.

Vancouver 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 36°8.218.33.28.90.9
Feb49° / 37°6.015.22.610.11.7
Mar54° / 39°7.018.31.911.62.5
Apr59° / 42°5.616.60.313.33.7
May66° / 47°3.512014.75.7
Jun71° / 51°2.48.8015.46.7
Jul78° / 55°0.62.9015.18.2
Aug79° / 56°0.83.3013.98.1
Sep73° / 52°2.56.8012.37.5
Oct61° / 45°5.613.3010.74.8
Nov50° / 39°8.918.20.99.31.9
Dec44° / 35°9.118.43.38.60.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53367
63466
73466
83466
93466
103466
113466
123367
133367
143268
153268
163169
173169
183169
193169
203169
213169
223169
233169
243268
253268
263268
273367
283466
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Vancouver gets around 3.5 in of rain over 12 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 39% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
343
442
541
640
740
839
939
1039
1138
1238
1338
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1940
2040
2139
2239
2338
2438
2537
2637
2736
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99730
109730
119730
129730
139730
149640
159640
169640
179640
189640
199640
209550
219550
229550
239550
249451
259451
269451
279361
289361
299361
309361
319361

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 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:07 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:077:09
214.15:057:10
314.15:037:12
414.25:027:13
514.25:007:14
614.34:597:16
714.34:577:17
814.44:567:18
914.44:557:19
1014.54:537:21
1114.54:527:22
1214.54:517:23
1314.64:497:24
1414.64:487:26
1514.74:477:27
1614.74:467:28
1714.74:457:29
1814.84:437:30
1914.84:427:32
2014.94:417:33
2114.94:407:34
2214.94:397:35
2315.04:387:36
2415.04:377:37
2515.04:377:38
2615.14:367:39
2715.14:357:40
2815.14:347:41
2915.14:337:42
3015.24:337:43
3115.24:327:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Vancouver

In seasonPeak

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

Vancouver's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Vancouver?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Vancouver for sightseeing.

What to pack for Vancouver in May

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

In May, Vancouver sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Vancouver 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 Vancouver peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Vancouver 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 Vancouver is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1621 µg/m³Jan 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Vancouver?

Vancouver sits at 45.6°N, 122.7°W, 171 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hazel Dell, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Vancouver

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Vancouver has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 ft around an average of 125 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,306 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,971 ft.

The land around Vancouver is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
338 ft
10 miles
1,306 ft
50 miles
10,971 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hazel Dell 2.5 mi · Salmon Creek 5.0 mi · Orchards 5.0 mi · Five Corners 5.0 mi · Portland 8.1 mi · Bethany 11 mi · Battle Ground 12 mi · Lents 12 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 Vancouver (45.6387°, -122.6615°, elevation 171 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).