May is one of the cooler months of the year in Bairnsdale, with average highs near 16.8°C and lows around 9.8°C (mean 13.3°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 50 mm of rainfall and 79% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Bairnsdale. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Bairnsdale was 2007 — when the month averaged 15.4°C — while the coldest was 2011 at 12.1°C. Typical May days reach 16.8°C with nights near 9.8°C. The long-term May temperature trend is broadly flat.
May is one of the drier months in Bairnsdale, averaging 50 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1981 with 205 mm, while the driest was 2009 at 17 mm.
Relative humidity in Bairnsdale during May averages 79%. The most humid May was 1983 at 87%, and the least humid were 1994 and 2018 at 73%.
May receives about 2.5 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Bairnsdale. The sunniest Mays were 2024 and 2025 at 2.8 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1988, 1997 and 2001 at 2.2.
Average wind speed in Bairnsdale during May is 2.6 m/s. The windiest Mays were 1994 and 2016 at 3.3 m/s, while the calmest was 1991 at 2 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 13.1°C | 13.1°C | 13.5°C | 13.5°C | 13.1°C | 0°C |
| Avg High | 16.6°C | 16.6°C | 16.9°C | 17.1°C | 16.7°C | +0.1°C |
| Avg Low | 9.6°C | 9.7°C | 10.1°C | 9.8°C | 9.6°C | 0°C |
| Avg Rain | 85 mm | 38 mm | 41 mm | 44 mm | 37 mm | -48 mm |
May temperatures in Bairnsdale have risen by about 0.5°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of 4.2°C (1985) to a record high of 26.6°C (1997).
Rainfall in May is one of the drier months, averaging 50 mm, with a wettest year of 205 mm.
A good time to visit Bairnsdale
May is a good time to visit Bairnsdale, with days averaging 16.8°C and nights around 9.8°C (mean 13.3°C, cooler than Bairnsdale's yearly average) and moderate rainfall. February and January 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 | 18.2°C | 14.2°C | 10.3°C | 24.1°C | 6.2°C | 27 mm | 75% | 2.4 m/s | 2.8 |
| 2024 | 17.3°C | 13.7°C | 10.0°C | 20.9°C | 6.8°C | 20 mm | 78% | 2.3 m/s | 2.8 |
| 2023 | 16.0°C | 12.5°C | 9.1°C | 20.4°C | 7.0°C | 46 mm | 78% | 2.9 m/s | 2.4 |
| 2022 | 16.2°C | 12.8°C | 9.5°C | 20.1°C | 6.0°C | 29 mm | 83% | 2.3 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2021 | 16.7°C | 13.1°C | 9.5°C | 23.3°C | 5.6°C | 74 mm | 78% | 2.6 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2020 | 16.0°C | 12.5°C | 9.1°C | 20.2°C | 5.7°C | 26 mm | 78% | 2.7 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2019 | 17.8°C | 14.0°C | 10.1°C | 24.9°C | 7.8°C | 63 mm | 76% | 2.8 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2018 | 17.7°C | 14.0°C | 10.3°C | 25.0°C | 6.9°C | 41 mm | 73% | 3.1 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2017 | 17.2°C | 13.5°C | 9.8°C | 21.6°C | 6.9°C | 22 mm | 77% | 2.4 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2016 | 18.1°C | 14.2°C | 10.4°C | 24.1°C | 6.3°C | 41 mm | 73% | 3.3 m/s | 2.7 |
| 2015 | 16.3°C | 12.7°C | 9.2°C | 20.0°C | 6.4°C | 33 mm | 79% | 3.1 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2014 | 18.1°C | 14.4°C | 10.6°C | 22.5°C | 6.0°C | 34 mm | 80% | 2.4 m/s | 2.4 |
| 2013 | 17.3°C | 13.4°C | 9.5°C | 23.4°C | 7.2°C | 24 mm | 77% | 2.6 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2012 | 16.1°C | 12.6°C | 9.0°C | 22.3°C | 6.5°C | 65 mm | 80% | 3 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2011 ❄️ | 15.0°C | 12.1°C | 9.3°C | 20.8°C | 6.9°C | 56 mm | 82% | 2.7 m/s | 2.3 |
| 2010 | 17.0°C | 13.6°C | 10.2°C | 23.4°C | 6.6°C | 63 mm | 79% | 2.5 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2009 | 17.1°C | 13.5°C | 10.0°C | 20.8°C | 6.5°C | 17 mm | 77% | 2.7 m/s | 2.7 |
| 2008 | 17.1°C | 13.4°C | 9.8°C | 20.3°C | 6.3°C | 27 mm | 78% | 2.3 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2007 🔥 | 19.2°C | 15.4°C | 11.7°C | 22.6°C | 8.7°C | 28 mm | 75% | 2.8 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2006 | 15.6°C | 12.4°C | 9.3°C | 20.4°C | 6.3°C | 73 mm | 81% | 2.8 m/s | 2.3 |
| 2005 | 17.6°C | 14.0°C | 10.4°C | 24.6°C | 8.0°C | 21 mm | 74% | 2.6 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2004 | 15.7°C | 12.4°C | 9.1°C | 20.6°C | 6.7°C | 43 mm | 81% | 3.1 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2003 | 17.9°C | 14.0°C | 10.2°C | 22.6°C | 5.8°C | 25 mm | 79% | 2.3 m/s | 2.7 |
| 2002 | 16.8°C | 13.5°C | 10.2°C | 21.9°C | 6.1°C | 43 mm | 79% | 2.4 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2001 | 15.8°C | 13.1°C | 10.4°C | 19.1°C | 8.3°C | 36 mm | 82% | 2.4 m/s | 2.2 |
| 2000 | 16.5°C | 13.0°C | 9.5°C | 19.9°C | 6.1°C | 100 mm | 79% | 3.1 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1999 | 18.3°C | 14.1°C | 9.9°C | 22.7°C | 5.6°C | 33 mm | 75% | 2.3 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1998 | 16.7°C | 13.7°C | 10.6°C | 20.7°C | 6.7°C | 24 mm | 77% | 2.7 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1997 | 16.3°C | 13.3°C | 10.3°C | 26.6°C | 5.3°C | 45 mm | 79% | 2.4 m/s | 2.2 |
| 1996 | 16.4°C | 12.7°C | 9.0°C | 22.1°C | 5.7°C | 44 mm | 82% | 2.6 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1995 | 15.9°C | 12.7°C | 9.5°C | 22.0°C | 6.9°C | 76 mm | 84% | 2.2 m/s | 2.3 |
| 1994 | 16.5°C | 13.0°C | 9.5°C | 21.5°C | 5.6°C | 42 mm | 73% | 3.3 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1993 | 17.0°C | 13.3°C | 9.6°C | 22.4°C | 5.9°C | 23 mm | 78% | 2.5 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1992 | 16.4°C | 12.9°C | 9.5°C | 22.8°C | 5.6°C | 36 mm | 81% | 2.2 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1991 | 16.7°C | 13.1°C | 9.4°C | 22.1°C | 6.6°C | 21 mm | 80% | 2 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1990 | 15.9°C | 12.6°C | 9.2°C | 21.8°C | 4.8°C | 39 mm | 82% | 2.6 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1989 | 16.9°C | 13.8°C | 10.7°C | 20.9°C | 6.7°C | 64 mm | 85% | 2.4 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1988 | 17.0°C | 13.9°C | 10.8°C | 22.2°C | 7.1°C | 129 mm | 85% | 2.3 m/s | 2.2 |
| 1987 | 16.5°C | 12.9°C | 9.3°C | 22.8°C | 4.5°C | 54 mm | 79% | 2.8 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1986 | 16.4°C | 12.8°C | 9.3°C | 21.7°C | 6.2°C | 54 mm | 81% | 2.4 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1985 | 16.8°C | 13.0°C | 9.1°C | 22.4°C | 4.2°C | 44 mm | 81% | 2.4 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1984 | 16.5°C | 12.6°C | 8.7°C | 22.2°C | 6.7°C | 33 mm | 79% | 2.2 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1983 | 15.8°C | 12.7°C | 9.6°C | 19.0°C | 5.9°C | 155 mm | 87% | 2.9 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 16.8°C | 12.8°C | 8.9°C | 22.2°C | 6.1°C | 33 mm | 75% | 3 m/s | — |
| 1981 🌧️ | 16.6°C | 13.1°C | 9.6°C | 24.1°C | 5.8°C | 205 mm | 79% | 2.4 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 16.8°C with lows near 9.8°C (mean 13.3°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 50 mm of rainfall in Bairnsdale, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 205 mm in 1981.
The hottest May reached 26.6°C in 1997. The coldest dipped to 4.2°C in 1985.
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 16.5°C to 16.9°C and overnight lows from 9.2°C to 9.7°C over the same span.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Bairnsdale and one of the drier months, so plan for around 16.8°C daytime highs and 9.8°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 5th coolest month in Bairnsdale, averaging 13.3°C.
For May in Bairnsdale, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 16.8°C and lows of 9.8°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 79% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 2.6 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 3.3 m/s (1994).
The wettest May on record was 1981 with 205 mm. On average, May sees 50 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 Bairnsdale 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.
