May is one of the warmer months of the year in Leh, with average highs near 12.7°C and lows around -7.8°C (mean 2.4°C). It is about average for rainfall, averaging 20 mm of rainfall and 49% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Leh. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Leh was 2000 — when the month averaged 5.5°C — while the coldest was 2023 at -3°C. Typical May days reach 12.7°C with nights near -7.8°C. The long-term May temperature trend is broadly flat.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 2.0°C | 2.7°C | 3.2°C | 2.6°C | 1.1°C | -0.9°C |
| Avg High | 12.9°C | 13.2°C | 13.3°C | 12.3°C | 11.2°C | -1.7°C |
| Avg Low | -8.8°C | -7.8°C | -6.9°C | -7.1°C | -9.0°C | -0.2°C |
| Avg Rain | 22 mm | 14 mm | 13 mm | 22 mm | 34 mm | +12 mm |
May temperatures in Leh have fallen by about 0.8°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of -13.9°C (1982) to a record high of 16.2°C (1993).
Rainfall in May is about average for rainfall, averaging 20 mm, with a wettest year of 72 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs fell about 0.4°C per decade while lows rose 0.2°C per decade, narrowing the gap between day and night.
A good time to visit Leh
May is a good time to visit Leh, with days averaging 12.7°C and nights around -7.8°C (mean 2.4°C, warmer than Leh's yearly average) and low rainfall. July and August are marginally more temperate, but May still suits most travellers.
| Year | High | Low | Avg | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.8°C | -4.0°C | 5.4°C | 26 mm | 53% | 1.9 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2024 | 11.8°C | -13.4°C | -0.8°C | 17 mm | 57% | 1.9 m/s | 8.2 |
| 2023 ❄️ 🌧️ | 7.9°C | -13.8°C | -3.0°C | 72 mm | 66% | 2.2 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2022 | 11.8°C | -5.0°C | 3.4°C | 23 mm | 53% | 2.1 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2021 | 10.5°C | -9.0°C | 0.8°C | 43 mm | 64% | 1.9 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2020 | 10.3°C | -8.6°C | 0.9°C | 25 mm | 64% | 2 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2019 | 10.5°C | -8.2°C | 1.2°C | 27 mm | 60% | 2 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2018 | 12.6°C | -8.8°C | 1.9°C | 29 mm | 51% | 2.6 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2017 | 12.4°C | -7.5°C | 2.4°C | 25 mm | 58% | 1.9 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2016 | 11.8°C | -4.9°C | 3.4°C | 37 mm | 57% | 2.3 m/s | 7.4 |
| 2015 | 11.8°C | -7.0°C | 2.4°C | 12 mm | 52% | 2.5 m/s | 7 |
| 2014 | 11.0°C | -8.6°C | 1.2°C | 15 mm | 53% | 2.5 m/s | 7 |
| 2013 | 14.1°C | -5.8°C | 4.2°C | 15 mm | 47% | 2.6 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2012 | 12.7°C | -7.7°C | 2.5°C | 10 mm | 46% | 2.5 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2011 | 13.1°C | -5.7°C | 3.7°C | 10 mm | 40% | 2.3 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2010 | 12.8°C | -7.1°C | 2.9°C | 43 mm | 51% | 2.7 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2009 | 12.4°C | -6.8°C | 2.8°C | 11 mm | 45% | 2.5 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2008 | 13.8°C | -5.3°C | 4.2°C | 20 mm | 45% | 2.1 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2007 | 13.2°C | -5.3°C | 3.9°C | 13 mm | 48% | 2 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2006 | 14.2°C | -4.6°C | 4.8°C | 9 mm | 42% | 2.3 m/s | 6.6 |
| 2005 | 9.0°C | -6.8°C | 1.1°C | 14 mm | 52% | 2.7 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2004 | 13.5°C | -12.7°C | 0.4°C | 10 mm | 46% | 2.4 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2003 | 13.3°C | -10.3°C | 1.5°C | 16 mm | 48% | 2.6 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2002 | 13.2°C | -6.7°C | 3.2°C | 6 mm | 39% | 2.8 m/s | 7 |
| 2001 | 14.3°C | -5.5°C | 4.4°C | 12 mm | 36% | 2.3 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2000 🔥 | 16.2°C | -5.3°C | 5.5°C | 18 mm | 36% | 2.3 m/s | 7.1 |
| 1999 | 14.4°C | -6.8°C | 3.8°C | 7 mm | 40% | 2.5 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1998 | 15.4°C | -6.4°C | 4.5°C | 8 mm | 42% | 2.8 m/s | 7.7 |
| 1997 | 9.5°C | -9.3°C | 0.1°C | 16 mm | 51% | 2.4 m/s | 7.4 |
| 1996 | 12.7°C | -8.1°C | 2.3°C | 33 mm | 53% | 2.8 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1995 | 12.3°C | -8.2°C | 2.0°C | 12 mm | 46% | 2.4 m/s | 7.1 |
| 1994 | 11.7°C | -8.8°C | 1.4°C | 22 mm | 50% | 2.5 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1993 | 16.2°C | -8.1°C | 4.1°C | 6 mm | 46% | 3.1 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1992 | 12.3°C | -9.0°C | 1.6°C | 17 mm | 50% | 2.5 m/s | 7 |
| 1991 | 12.5°C | -6.9°C | 2.8°C | 2 mm | 44% | 3 m/s | 7 |
| 1990 | 15.3°C | -6.1°C | 4.6°C | 13 mm | 44% | 2.1 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1989 | 11.3°C | -8.1°C | 1.6°C | 17 mm | 43% | 2.7 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1988 | 14.2°C | -6.6°C | 3.8°C | 8 mm | 44% | 2.7 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1987 | 12.9°C | -10.9°C | 1.0°C | 47 mm | 53% | 2.4 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1986 | 11.9°C | -8.5°C | 1.7°C | 10 mm | 48% | 2.3 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1985 | 12.9°C | -8.7°C | 2.1°C | 20 mm | 49% | 2.5 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1984 | 15.2°C | -8.9°C | 3.2°C | 11 mm | 46% | 2.6 m/s | 7.5 |
| 1983 | 12.9°C | -8.4°C | 2.2°C | 18 mm | 51% | 2.3 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 11.7°C | -13.9°C | -1.1°C | 37 mm | 54% | 2.1 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 13.2°C | -5.6°C | 3.8°C | 34 mm | 48% | 2.2 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 12.7°C with lows near -7.8°C (mean 2.4°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 20 mm of rainfall in Leh, about average for rainfall. The wettest on record was 72 mm in 2023.
The hottest May reached 16.2°C in 1993. The coldest dipped to -13.9°C in 1982.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have fallen by about 0.8°C. Daytime highs moved from 13.2°C to 11.4°C and overnight lows from -9.1°C to -9°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Leh and about average for rainfall, so plan for around 12.7°C daytime highs and -7.8°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Leh, averaging 2.4°C.
For May in Leh, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 12.7°C and lows of -7.8°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 49% — relatively dry.
Average wind speed in May is 2.4 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 3.1 m/s (1993).
The wettest May on record was 2023 with 72 mm. On average, May sees 20 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 Leh 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.
