May is one of the cooler months of the year in Cambridge, with average highs near 15.6°C and lows around 7.6°C (mean 11.6°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 107 mm of rainfall and 87% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Cambridge. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Cambridge was 2016 — when the month averaged 13.6°C — while the coldest was 1992 at 9°C. Typical May days reach 15.6°C with nights near 7.6°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
May is a relatively wet time of year in Cambridge, averaging 107 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 2023 with 247 mm, while the driest was 2007 at 24 mm.
Relative humidity in Cambridge during May averages 87%. The most humid May was 2023 at 91%, and the least humid were 1999 and 2002 at 84%.
May receives about 2.4 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Cambridge. The sunniest May was 1985 at 2.7 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 2001 at 2.
Average wind speed in Cambridge during May is 2.1 m/s. The windiest May was 1994 at 2.9 m/s, while the calmest were 1997, 2008 and 2014, among others at 1.7 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 11.2°C | 11.2°C | 11.8°C | 11.8°C | 12.1°C | +0.9°C |
| Avg High | 15.3°C | 15.0°C | 15.6°C | 16.0°C | 16.2°C | +0.9°C |
| Avg Low | 7.0°C | 7.4°C | 7.9°C | 7.7°C | 7.9°C | +0.9°C |
| Avg Rain | 93 mm | 103 mm | 105 mm | 111 mm | 134 mm | +41 mm |
May temperatures in Cambridge have risen by about 1.3°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of -1.3°C (2001) to a record high of 22.4°C (1989).
Rainfall in May is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 107 mm, with a wettest year of 247 mm.
A good time to visit Cambridge
May is a good time to visit Cambridge, with days averaging 15.6°C and nights around 7.6°C (mean 11.6°C, cooler than Cambridge's yearly average) and higher 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 | 16.8°C | 12.4°C | 7.9°C | 19.2°C | 3.0°C | 139 mm | 86% | 1.9 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2024 | 14.9°C | 10.6°C | 6.3°C | 18.0°C | -1.0°C | 109 mm | 86% | 1.9 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2023 🌧️ | 16.3°C | 13.1°C | 9.9°C | 20.7°C | 3.3°C | 247 mm | 91% | 2.5 m/s | 2.2 |
| 2022 | 17.0°C | 12.8°C | 8.6°C | 21.3°C | 1.6°C | 132 mm | 87% | 2 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2021 | 16.2°C | 12.0°C | 7.8°C | 19.4°C | 0.5°C | 96 mm | 85% | 2 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2020 | 16.0°C | 11.5°C | 7.0°C | 19.1°C | 1.5°C | 80 mm | 85% | 1.8 m/s | 2.3 |
| 2019 | 17.0°C | 12.5°C | 8.1°C | 20.4°C | 3.6°C | 58 mm | 85% | 1.9 m/s | 2.4 |
| 2018 | 16.0°C | 11.9°C | 7.8°C | 22.1°C | 0.8°C | 101 mm | 88% | 2 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2017 | 15.1°C | 10.9°C | 6.6°C | 18.5°C | -0.2°C | 149 mm | 87% | 2 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2016 🔥 | 17.2°C | 13.6°C | 10.0°C | 21.6°C | 5.1°C | 101 mm | 88% | 2.2 m/s | 2.2 |
| 2015 | 15.5°C | 11.3°C | 7.1°C | 20.2°C | 0.5°C | 83 mm | 85% | 2.1 m/s | 2.3 |
| 2014 | 15.9°C | 11.4°C | 6.9°C | 20.2°C | -1.0°C | 48 mm | 85% | 1.7 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2013 | 16.0°C | 11.9°C | 7.8°C | 21.9°C | 0.4°C | 144 mm | 87% | 1.9 m/s | 2.3 |
| 2012 | 14.9°C | 10.2°C | 5.6°C | 17.3°C | -0.7°C | 97 mm | 86% | 1.9 m/s | 2.5 |
| 2011 | 16.4°C | 13.0°C | 9.6°C | 20.6°C | 2.6°C | 154 mm | 90% | 2.3 m/s | 2.2 |
| 2010 | 15.8°C | 11.6°C | 7.5°C | 19.5°C | 2.6°C | 170 mm | 86% | 1.9 m/s | 2.2 |
| 2009 | 13.1°C | 9.2°C | 5.3°C | 17.6°C | -0.5°C | 94 mm | 88% | 2.1 m/s | 2.3 |
| 2008 | 14.8°C | 10.4°C | 6.0°C | 17.6°C | 1.3°C | 95 mm | 85% | 1.7 m/s | 2.6 |
| 2007 | 17.2°C | 13.0°C | 8.7°C | 20.3°C | 4.3°C | 24 mm | 87% | 1.8 m/s | 2.4 |
| 2006 | 15.4°C | 11.5°C | 7.7°C | 19.4°C | 1.8°C | 107 mm | 89% | 2 m/s | 2.4 |
| 2005 | 16.2°C | 12.5°C | 8.8°C | 19.0°C | 2.5°C | 214 mm | 90% | 2 m/s | 2.1 |
| 2004 | 15.8°C | 12.2°C | 8.6°C | 20.2°C | 3.8°C | 156 mm | 89% | 2.2 m/s | 2.2 |
| 2003 | 16.5°C | 12.5°C | 8.5°C | 19.7°C | 1.0°C | 97 mm | 85% | 1.9 m/s | 2.4 |
| 2002 | 15.4°C | 11.9°C | 8.4°C | 18.8°C | 2.3°C | 55 mm | 84% | 2.8 m/s | 2.1 |
| 2001 | 15.4°C | 12.2°C | 9.0°C | 19.9°C | -1.3°C | 140 mm | 89% | 2.6 m/s | 2 |
| 2000 | 16.6°C | 12.4°C | 8.2°C | 20.2°C | 4.3°C | 67 mm | 87% | 2.1 m/s | 2.2 |
| 1999 | 16.8°C | 12.6°C | 8.4°C | 19.2°C | 3.2°C | 59 mm | 84% | 1.9 m/s | 2.3 |
| 1998 | 15.9°C | 11.8°C | 7.8°C | 18.0°C | 3.3°C | 70 mm | 86% | 2.3 m/s | 2.2 |
| 1997 | 16.2°C | 12.4°C | 8.6°C | 20.1°C | 6.0°C | 94 mm | 87% | 1.7 m/s | 2.2 |
| 1996 | 14.7°C | 10.6°C | 6.4°C | 18.0°C | 0.8°C | 98 mm | 86% | 2.3 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1995 | 15.3°C | 11.5°C | 7.7°C | 20.0°C | 2.4°C | 147 mm | 88% | 2 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1994 | 15.0°C | 11.5°C | 8.1°C | 19.3°C | 1.8°C | 139 mm | 88% | 2.9 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1993 | 14.7°C | 10.9°C | 7.2°C | 17.7°C | 2.7°C | 79 mm | 89% | 2.1 m/s | 2.3 |
| 1992 ❄️ | 12.6°C | 9.0°C | 5.4°C | 19.3°C | 0.0°C | 125 mm | 89% | 2.2 m/s | 2.3 |
| 1991 | 14.0°C | 10.3°C | 6.5°C | 16.9°C | 3.3°C | 81 mm | 90% | 1.9 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1990 | 15.0°C | 11.5°C | 8.0°C | 18.0°C | 2.6°C | 138 mm | 88% | 2.5 m/s | 2.5 |
| 1989 | 15.4°C | 11.5°C | 7.6°C | 22.4°C | 1.0°C | 137 mm | 87% | 1.9 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1988 | 15.7°C | 11.8°C | 8.0°C | 20.2°C | 2.9°C | 105 mm | 88% | 2.3 m/s | 2.1 |
| 1987 | 15.5°C | 11.3°C | 7.0°C | 18.5°C | 2.5°C | 74 mm | 87% | 1.7 m/s | 2.3 |
| 1986 | 15.7°C | 11.5°C | 7.3°C | 18.5°C | 1.3°C | 120 mm | 86% | 2 m/s | 2.6 |
| 1985 | 14.9°C | 10.6°C | 6.4°C | 18.8°C | 2.1°C | 81 mm | 86% | 1.7 m/s | 2.7 |
| 1984 | 14.8°C | 10.8°C | 6.7°C | 18.8°C | -0.7°C | 86 mm | 86% | 2.1 m/s | 2.4 |
| 1983 | 14.4°C | 10.7°C | 6.9°C | 18.7°C | 1.0°C | 78 mm | 87% | 2.6 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 15.3°C | 11.0°C | 6.6°C | 18.2°C | 2.2°C | 97 mm | 85% | 2.3 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 15.6°C | 11.2°C | 6.8°C | 20.0°C | 2.4°C | 55 mm | 85% | 1.8 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 15.6°C with lows near 7.6°C (mean 11.6°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 107 mm of rainfall in Cambridge, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 247 mm in 2023.
The hottest May reached 22.4°C in 1989. The coldest dipped to -1.3°C in 2001.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.3°C. Daytime highs moved from 15°C to 16.2°C and overnight lows from 6.7°C to 8.1°C over the same span.
May is one of the cooler months of the year in Cambridge and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 15.6°C daytime highs and 7.6°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 5th coolest month in Cambridge, averaging 11.6°C.
For May in Cambridge, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 15.6°C and lows of 7.6°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in May averages 87% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 2.1 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 2.9 m/s (1994).
The wettest May on record was 2023 with 247 mm. On average, May sees 107 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 Cambridge 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.
