May is one of the warmer months of the year in Yellowknife, with average highs near 9.7°C and lows around 1.9°C (mean 5.8°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 46 mm of rainfall and 75% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Yellowknife. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Yellowknife was 2023 — when the month averaged 12.5°C — while the coldest was 2004 at -1.4°C. Typical May days reach 9.7°C with nights near 1.9°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
May is a relatively wet time of year in Yellowknife, averaging 46 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 2001 with 98 mm, while the driest was 2015 at 5 mm.
Relative humidity in Yellowknife during May averages 75%. The most humid Mays were 1982 and 2004 at 83%, and the least humid was 2015 at 63%.
May receives about 5.7 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Yellowknife. The sunniest May was 2015 at 6.6 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 2001 at 4.8.
Average wind speed in Yellowknife during May is 4.4 m/s. The windiest Mays were 1994 and 2005 at 5 m/s, while the calmest was 1992 at 3.6 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 5.2°C | 6.3°C | 4.6°C | 6.8°C | 6.4°C | +1.2°C |
| Avg High | 9.0°C | 10.2°C | 8.3°C | 10.9°C | 10.3°C | +1.3°C |
| Avg Low | 1.3°C | 2.4°C | 0.9°C | 2.7°C | 2.5°C | +1.2°C |
| Avg Rain | 51 mm | 41 mm | 48 mm | 43 mm | 47 mm | -5 mm |
May temperatures in Yellowknife have risen by about 2°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of -18.7°C (2002) to a record high of 26.1°C (2025).
Rainfall in May is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 46 mm, with a wettest year of 98 mm.
A good time to visit Yellowknife
May is a good time to visit Yellowknife, with days averaging 9.7°C and nights around 1.9°C (mean 5.8°C, warmer than Yellowknife's yearly average) and moderate rainfall. July and August 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 | 10.7°C | 6.7°C | 2.7°C | 26.1°C | -13.8°C | 61 mm | 80% | 4.7 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2024 | 12.4°C | 8.5°C | 4.5°C | 17.7°C | -1.2°C | 43 mm | 73% | 4.8 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2023 🔥 | 16.9°C | 12.5°C | 8.2°C | 23.6°C | 1.1°C | 54 mm | 72% | 4.6 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2022 | 8.7°C | 5.2°C | 1.6°C | 15.9°C | -8.6°C | 80 mm | 77% | 4.6 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2021 | 7.3°C | 3.5°C | -0.3°C | 16.9°C | -9.4°C | 20 mm | 79% | 4.5 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2020 | 5.7°C | 2.0°C | -1.7°C | 16.5°C | -7.6°C | 21 mm | 79% | 4.6 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2019 | 7.7°C | 3.4°C | -0.8°C | 19.9°C | -15.7°C | 39 mm | 76% | 4.5 m/s | 6 |
| 2018 | 10.8°C | 6.7°C | 2.5°C | 22.2°C | -4.3°C | 61 mm | 72% | 4.3 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2017 | 12.9°C | 8.8°C | 4.7°C | 24.4°C | -5.0°C | 74 mm | 77% | 4.5 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2016 | 12.6°C | 8.4°C | 4.3°C | 21.8°C | -1.7°C | 45 mm | 73% | 4.6 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2015 | 12.8°C | 8.1°C | 3.3°C | 23.4°C | -6.1°C | 5 mm | 63% | 4 m/s | 6.6 |
| 2014 | 9.5°C | 5.7°C | 1.9°C | 19.3°C | -8.2°C | 38 mm | 70% | 4.3 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2013 | 11.0°C | 6.4°C | 1.9°C | 21.0°C | -15.3°C | 36 mm | 76% | 4.2 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2012 | 12.2°C | 8.4°C | 4.6°C | 23.1°C | -3.7°C | 42 mm | 75% | 4.5 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2011 | 11.2°C | 7.1°C | 2.9°C | 19.4°C | -13.1°C | 23 mm | 74% | 4.3 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2010 | 8.7°C | 5.1°C | 1.5°C | 22.3°C | -7.2°C | 64 mm | 74% | 4.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2009 | 6.0°C | 2.2°C | -1.7°C | 12.6°C | -8.1°C | 32 mm | 74% | 4 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2008 | 11.6°C | 7.6°C | 3.7°C | 19.5°C | -3.5°C | 19 mm | 72% | 4.8 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2007 | 9.9°C | 6.1°C | 2.3°C | 21.3°C | -3.3°C | 55 mm | 77% | 4.3 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2006 | 11.5°C | 8.5°C | 5.6°C | 16.1°C | -0.9°C | 74 mm | 80% | 4.2 m/s | 5.1 |
| 2005 | 8.7°C | 4.4°C | 0.2°C | 22.9°C | -6.1°C | 37 mm | 77% | 5 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2004 ❄️ | 2.2°C | -1.4°C | -5.0°C | 15.6°C | -15.6°C | 40 mm | 83% | 3.8 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2003 | 10.1°C | 6.3°C | 2.6°C | 20.6°C | -6.0°C | 56 mm | 74% | 4 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2002 | 5.0°C | 1.1°C | -2.8°C | 16.7°C | -18.7°C | 30 mm | 78% | 3.8 m/s | 6 |
| 2001 🌧️ | 8.9°C | 5.3°C | 1.8°C | 21.1°C | -5.0°C | 98 mm | 81% | 4.6 m/s | 4.8 |
| 2000 | 9.2°C | 5.6°C | 1.9°C | 15.2°C | -3.5°C | 36 mm | 73% | 4.1 m/s | 5.8 |
| 1999 | 9.8°C | 6.0°C | 2.3°C | 20.4°C | -5.1°C | 29 mm | 75% | 4.3 m/s | 5.1 |
| 1998 | 14.6°C | 10.3°C | 6.0°C | 25.1°C | -0.1°C | 7 mm | 65% | 4.7 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1997 | 7.9°C | 4.1°C | 0.3°C | 20.1°C | -6.0°C | 53 mm | 69% | 4.2 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1996 | 8.9°C | 5.3°C | 1.7°C | 20.5°C | -9.7°C | 39 mm | 73% | 4.2 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1995 | 10.1°C | 5.9°C | 1.7°C | 21.3°C | -4.4°C | 24 mm | 73% | 4.3 m/s | 5.8 |
| 1994 | 12.1°C | 8.0°C | 4.0°C | 22.7°C | -1.9°C | 30 mm | 73% | 5 m/s | 5.8 |
| 1993 | 8.2°C | 4.5°C | 0.8°C | 15.1°C | -5.2°C | 92 mm | 79% | 4.7 m/s | 5.4 |
| 1992 | 8.5°C | 5.2°C | 1.8°C | 21.3°C | -3.4°C | 45 mm | 79% | 3.6 m/s | 5.4 |
| 1991 | 12.4°C | 8.3°C | 4.3°C | 20.3°C | -3.6°C | 73 mm | 79% | 4.5 m/s | 5.3 |
| 1990 | 9.4°C | 5.1°C | 0.9°C | 25.1°C | -11.4°C | 15 mm | 75% | 3.9 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1989 | 9.1°C | 4.6°C | 0.2°C | 18.1°C | -6.0°C | 85 mm | 75% | 4.9 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1988 | 5.7°C | 2.0°C | -1.8°C | 15.3°C | -10.4°C | 47 mm | 77% | 4.4 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1987 | 10.2°C | 6.5°C | 2.7°C | 22.9°C | -4.0°C | 24 mm | 72% | 3.9 m/s | 5.9 |
| 1986 | 10.3°C | 6.7°C | 3.1°C | 20.5°C | -6.5°C | 84 mm | 80% | 4.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1985 | 9.8°C | 6.2°C | 2.6°C | 18.4°C | -3.7°C | 47 mm | 78% | 4.3 m/s | 5.4 |
| 1984 | 11.4°C | 7.7°C | 3.9°C | 18.7°C | -1.5°C | 41 mm | 72% | 4.5 m/s | 5.9 |
| 1983 | 3.5°C | -0.2°C | -4.0°C | 15.7°C | -13.1°C | 30 mm | 77% | 4.4 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 6.9°C | 3.3°C | -0.4°C | 16.8°C | -9.4°C | 91 mm | 83% | 4.3 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 14.4°C | 9.7°C | 5.1°C | 24.2°C | -5.8°C | 14 mm | 68% | 4 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 9.7°C with lows near 1.9°C (mean 5.8°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 46 mm of rainfall in Yellowknife, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 98 mm in 2001.
The hottest May reached 26.1°C in 2025. The coldest dipped to -18.7°C in 2002.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 2°C. Daytime highs moved from 9.2°C to 11.2°C and overnight lows from 1.4°C to 3.3°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Yellowknife and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 9.7°C daytime highs and 1.9°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Yellowknife, averaging 5.8°C.
For May in Yellowknife, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 9.7°C and lows of 1.9°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 75% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 4.4 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 5 m/s (1994).
The wettest May on record was 2001 with 98 mm. On average, May sees 46 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 Yellowknife 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.
