May is one of the cooler months of the year in Canberra, with average highs near 14.6°C and lows around 4.6°C (mean 9.6°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 49 mm of rainfall and 80% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Canberra. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Canberra was 2007 — when the month averaged 11.5°C — while the coldest was 2012 at 8°C. Typical May days reach 14.6°C with nights near 4.6°C. The long-term May temperature trend is broadly flat.
May is one of the drier months in Canberra, averaging 49 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1995 with 157 mm, while the driest was 2005 at 10 mm.
Relative humidity in Canberra during May averages 80%. The most humid May was 1989 at 91%, and the least humid was 2018 at 69%.
May receives about 2.9 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Canberra. The sunniest Mays were 2008, 2012 and 2018 at 3.2 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1989 and 1995 at 2.5.
Average wind speed in Canberra during May is 1.1 m/s. The windiest May was 2016 at 1.6 m/s, while the calmest was 1991 at 0.8 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 9.4°C | 9.8°C | 9.9°C | 9.5°C | 9.5°C | +0.1°C |
| Avg High | 14.0°C | 14.6°C | 15.1°C | 14.7°C | 14.2°C | +0.2°C |
| Avg Low | 4.8°C | 4.9°C | 4.6°C | 4.2°C | 4.8°C | 0°C |
| Avg Rain | 72 mm | 61 mm | 32 mm | 35 mm | 47 mm | -25 mm |
May temperatures in Canberra have risen by about 0.5°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of -2.7°C (1982) to a record high of 22.9°C (2018).
Rainfall in May is one of the drier months, averaging 49 mm, with a wettest year of 157 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs rose about 0.2°C per decade while lows rose 0°C per decade, widening the gap between day and night.
A good time to visit Canberra
May is a good time to visit Canberra, with days averaging 14.6°C and nights around 4.6°C (mean 9.6°C, cooler than Canberra's yearly average) and moderate rainfall. January and February are marginally more temperate, but May still suits most travellers.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15.9°C | 11.0°C | 6.1°C | 20.1°C | 2.4°C | 62 mm | 80% | 1 m/s | 2.9 |
| 2024 | 14.5°C | 10.0°C | 5.6°C | 18.6°C | -1.3°C | 56 mm | 83% | 1 m/s | 2.8 |
| 2023 | 13.4°C | 8.2°C | 3.1°C | 16.9°C | -0.8°C | 21 mm | 78% | 1.2 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2022 | 14.0°C | 9.7°C | 5.4°C | 18.2°C | 0.0°C | 57 mm | 85% | 1.1 m/s | 2.7 |
| 2021 | 14.2°C | 9.4°C | 4.5°C | 19.6°C | -2.5°C | 64 mm | 81% | 1 m/s | 3 |
| 2020 | 13.3°C | 8.6°C | 3.8°C | 18.2°C | -0.1°C | 21 mm | 81% | 1.2 m/s | 3 |
| 2019 | 15.6°C | 10.0°C | 4.5°C | 21.2°C | -0.6°C | 17 mm | 74% | 1.2 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2018 | 16.2°C | 10.2°C | 4.1°C | 22.9°C | 1.0°C | 11 mm | 69% | 1.2 m/s | 3.2 |
| 2017 | 15.2°C | 9.6°C | 3.9°C | 18.3°C | -1.3°C | 24 mm | 77% | 0.9 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2016 | 15.9°C | 10.5°C | 5.1°C | 22.6°C | -0.5°C | 29 mm | 72% | 1.6 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2015 | 13.9°C | 9.0°C | 4.2°C | 19.8°C | -0.2°C | 33 mm | 80% | 1.3 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2014 | 15.1°C | 10.2°C | 5.3°C | 19.1°C | 1.1°C | 30 mm | 82% | 1 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2013 | 14.6°C | 9.3°C | 4.0°C | 21.1°C | -0.8°C | 30 mm | 80% | 1.1 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2012 ❄️ | 13.2°C | 8.0°C | 2.8°C | 18.3°C | -0.7°C | 30 mm | 82% | 1 m/s | 3.2 |
| 2011 | 13.3°C | 8.3°C | 3.4°C | 18.0°C | -1.4°C | 39 mm | 80% | 1 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2010 | 14.4°C | 9.5°C | 4.7°C | 21.4°C | 0.2°C | 107 mm | 81% | 0.9 m/s | 2.9 |
| 2009 | 14.8°C | 9.9°C | 5.1°C | 19.4°C | 1.3°C | 26 mm | 81% | 1.1 m/s | 2.9 |
| 2008 | 15.8°C | 10.0°C | 4.1°C | 20.4°C | 0.7°C | 11 mm | 75% | 0.9 m/s | 3.2 |
| 2007 🔥 | 16.9°C | 11.5°C | 6.0°C | 20.8°C | -1.3°C | 49 mm | 75% | 1.2 m/s | 3 |
| 2006 | 14.3°C | 8.9°C | 3.6°C | 19.4°C | -0.9°C | 37 mm | 78% | 1 m/s | 3 |
| 2005 | 16.8°C | 10.9°C | 5.1°C | 22.3°C | 0.0°C | 10 mm | 73% | 1 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2004 | 15.1°C | 9.2°C | 3.4°C | 18.4°C | -1.1°C | 21 mm | 72% | 1.2 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2003 | 14.6°C | 10.4°C | 6.1°C | 20.6°C | 1.7°C | 54 mm | 82% | 1.1 m/s | 2.8 |
| 2002 | 14.5°C | 9.7°C | 4.9°C | 21.5°C | 0.4°C | 39 mm | 78% | 1 m/s | 2.8 |
| 2001 | 14.8°C | 9.4°C | 3.9°C | 20.2°C | -0.1°C | 10 mm | 79% | 0.9 m/s | 2.9 |
| 2000 | 13.8°C | 8.7°C | 3.6°C | 20.1°C | -1.3°C | 62 mm | 81% | 1.2 m/s | 2.8 |
| 1999 | 16.2°C | 10.7°C | 5.2°C | 20.0°C | -2.2°C | 31 mm | 74% | 1 m/s | 3 |
| 1998 | 14.6°C | 10.2°C | 5.8°C | 17.9°C | -0.8°C | 57 mm | 78% | 1.2 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1997 | 15.1°C | 10.2°C | 5.4°C | 22.6°C | -2.2°C | 52 mm | 78% | 1 m/s | 2.7 |
| 1996 | 14.8°C | 10.0°C | 5.1°C | 19.1°C | 0.2°C | 82 mm | 84% | 1 m/s | 2.8 |
| 1995 🌧️ | 13.3°C | 9.4°C | 5.5°C | 17.9°C | 0.9°C | 157 mm | 87% | 1.1 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1994 | 13.6°C | 8.7°C | 3.8°C | 19.6°C | -0.9°C | 23 mm | 76% | 1.4 m/s | 2.9 |
| 1993 | 15.4°C | 9.8°C | 4.2°C | 21.2°C | 0.5°C | 31 mm | 76% | 0.9 m/s | 3 |
| 1992 | 13.6°C | 8.8°C | 4.0°C | 19.2°C | -1.3°C | 38 mm | 82% | 0.9 m/s | 3 |
| 1991 | 15.0°C | 9.9°C | 4.7°C | 19.4°C | -0.6°C | 40 mm | 77% | 0.8 m/s | 3 |
| 1990 | 14.4°C | 9.8°C | 5.1°C | 19.6°C | -0.6°C | 103 mm | 84% | 1 m/s | 2.7 |
| 1989 | 13.7°C | 10.2°C | 6.6°C | 17.2°C | -1.1°C | 73 mm | 91% | 0.9 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1988 | 13.9°C | 9.8°C | 5.7°C | 20.2°C | 0.8°C | 107 mm | 88% | 0.9 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1987 | 13.9°C | 9.2°C | 4.5°C | 18.9°C | -2.3°C | 63 mm | 81% | 1.2 m/s | 2.7 |
| 1986 | 14.7°C | 9.6°C | 4.5°C | 18.7°C | -0.9°C | 56 mm | 80% | 1 m/s | 2.9 |
| 1985 | 13.9°C | 9.2°C | 4.4°C | 18.9°C | -1.4°C | 63 mm | 83% | 1 m/s | 2.8 |
| 1984 | 13.6°C | 9.2°C | 4.7°C | 19.1°C | -0.2°C | 30 mm | 83% | 0.9 m/s | 3 |
| 1983 | 13.5°C | 9.3°C | 5.0°C | 17.9°C | -1.0°C | 144 mm | 87% | 1.3 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 14.7°C | 9.0°C | 3.2°C | 18.8°C | -2.7°C | 12 mm | 72% | 1.2 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 14.0°C | 9.2°C | 4.4°C | 20.4°C | -1.2°C | 99 mm | 81% | 1.1 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 14.6°C with lows near 4.6°C (mean 9.6°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 49 mm of rainfall in Canberra, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 157 mm in 1995.
The hottest May reached 22.9°C in 2018. The coldest dipped to -2.7°C in 1982.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 0.5°C. Daytime highs moved from 13.9°C to 14.4°C and overnight lows from 4.3°C to 4.9°C over the same span.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Canberra and one of the drier months, so plan for around 14.6°C daytime highs and 4.6°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 5th coolest month in Canberra, averaging 9.6°C.
For May in Canberra, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 14.6°C and lows of 4.6°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 80% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 1.1 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 1.6 m/s (2016).
The wettest May on record was 1995 with 157 mm. On average, May sees 49 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Canberra behaves each May, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for May specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
