May is one of the warmer months of the year in Desert Hot Springs, with average highs near 29.2°C and lows around 12°C (mean 20.6°C). It is about average for rainfall, averaging 3 mm of rainfall and 35% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Desert Hot Springs. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Desert Hot Springs was 1997 — when the month averaged 24.9°C — while the coldest was 1998 at 15.9°C. Typical May days reach 29.2°C with nights near 12°C. The long-term May temperature trend is broadly flat.
May is about average for rainfall in Desert Hot Springs, averaging 3 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1998 with 19 mm, while the driest were 2020, 2021 and 2022, among others at 0 mm.
Relative humidity in Desert Hot Springs during May averages 35%. The most humid May was 1998 at 52%, and the least humid was 1984 at 23%.
May receives about 7.8 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Desert Hot Springs. The sunniest May was 2020 at 8.4 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 1995 at 6.9.
Average wind speed in Desert Hot Springs during May is 2.8 m/s. The windiest May was 1990 at 3.5 m/s, while the calmest was 1992 at 2.1 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 20.6°C | 19.6°C | 22.1°C | 19.8°C | 21.4°C | +0.8°C |
| Avg High | 29.3°C | 28.1°C | 30.7°C | 28.2°C | 30.1°C | +0.8°C |
| Avg Low | 11.9°C | 11.1°C | 13.4°C | 11.3°C | 12.7°C | +0.8°C |
| Avg Rain | 3 mm | 5 mm | 1 mm | 3 mm | 3 mm | -1 mm |
May temperatures in Desert Hot Springs have risen by about 0.5°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of 1.9°C (1988) to a record high of 40.5°C (2003).
Rainfall in May is about average for rainfall, averaging 3 mm, with a wettest year of 19 mm.
One of the best times to visit Desert Hot Springs
May is one of the best times to visit Desert Hot Springs. Expect days averaging 29.2°C and nights around 12°C (mean 20.6°C) — warmer than Desert Hot Springs's yearly average — with low rainfall (3 mm), so conditions are generally comfortable for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29.8°C | 21.6°C | 13.4°C | 36.3°C | 7.7°C | 10 mm | 39% | 2.8 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2024 | 30.2°C | 21.1°C | 12.0°C | 35.7°C | 4.4°C | 0 mm | 36% | 2.9 m/s | 8 |
| 2023 | 28.7°C | 20.4°C | 12.0°C | 34.4°C | 5.2°C | 5 mm | 42% | 2.9 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2022 | 30.6°C | 21.6°C | 12.6°C | 36.0°C | 4.4°C | 0 mm | 29% | 2.9 m/s | 8.2 |
| 2021 | 30.3°C | 21.5°C | 12.7°C | 34.3°C | 6.1°C | 0 mm | 31% | 2.9 m/s | 8.2 |
| 2020 | 31.1°C | 22.3°C | 13.5°C | 38.6°C | 7.2°C | 0 mm | 34% | 2.7 m/s | 8.4 |
| 2019 | 24.8°C | 17.3°C | 9.8°C | 31.4°C | 4.7°C | 10 mm | 51% | 2.9 m/s | 7 |
| 2018 | 29.4°C | 20.9°C | 12.3°C | 37.8°C | 6.4°C | 3 mm | 41% | 2.8 m/s | 7.9 |
| 2017 | 29.2°C | 20.7°C | 12.2°C | 37.1°C | 4.3°C | 2 mm | 35% | 2.7 m/s | 7.7 |
| 2016 | 27.6°C | 19.5°C | 11.4°C | 35.9°C | 6.6°C | 2 mm | 42% | 2.8 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2015 | 26.4°C | 18.7°C | 11.1°C | 34.9°C | 4.3°C | 5 mm | 42% | 2.6 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2014 | 30.1°C | 21.4°C | 12.8°C | 36.9°C | 6.9°C | 1 mm | 28% | 3.1 m/s | 8.1 |
| 2013 | 30.1°C | 21.2°C | 12.3°C | 36.8°C | 6.9°C | 2 mm | 31% | 3.1 m/s | 7.9 |
| 2012 | 31.8°C | 22.4°C | 13.0°C | 38.3°C | 5.4°C | 0 mm | 25% | 2.7 m/s | 8.3 |
| 2011 | 26.2°C | 17.8°C | 9.3°C | 33.4°C | 3.4°C | 2 mm | 37% | 3.4 m/s | 8 |
| 2010 | 26.1°C | 17.6°C | 9.1°C | 32.7°C | 3.9°C | 0 mm | 38% | 3 m/s | 8.2 |
| 2009 | 33.2°C | 24.7°C | 16.2°C | 37.4°C | 11.8°C | 0 mm | 26% | 2.5 m/s | 8 |
| 2008 | 27.5°C | 19.1°C | 10.8°C | 40.0°C | 5.4°C | 2 mm | 33% | 2.8 m/s | 7.8 |
| 2007 | 30.2°C | 21.6°C | 12.9°C | 33.8°C | 5.5°C | 0 mm | 26% | 2.6 m/s | 8.2 |
| 2006 | 31.2°C | 22.7°C | 14.2°C | 35.8°C | 8.2°C | 3 mm | 30% | 2.4 m/s | 8.1 |
| 2005 | 29.9°C | 21.3°C | 12.8°C | 38.5°C | 5.8°C | 2 mm | 40% | 2.3 m/s | 7.9 |
| 2004 | 30.8°C | 21.8°C | 12.8°C | 37.4°C | 8.0°C | 0 mm | 29% | 2.9 m/s | 8.3 |
| 2003 | 29.7°C | 21.4°C | 13.1°C | 40.5°C | 2.6°C | 2 mm | 32% | 2.6 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2002 | 29.2°C | 20.3°C | 11.4°C | 38.0°C | 4.3°C | 0 mm | 30% | 2.7 m/s | 8.2 |
| 2001 | 33.4°C | 24.8°C | 16.2°C | 40.3°C | 8.3°C | 1 mm | 25% | 2.5 m/s | 8 |
| 2000 | 32.0°C | 22.9°C | 13.8°C | 39.4°C | 6.3°C | 4 mm | 30% | 2.9 m/s | 8 |
| 1999 | 28.8°C | 19.7°C | 10.7°C | 35.1°C | 3.7°C | 2 mm | 34% | 2.8 m/s | 7.7 |
| 1998 ❄️ 🌧️ | 24.0°C | 15.9°C | 7.7°C | 29.9°C | 3.5°C | 19 mm | 52% | 2.8 m/s | 7.2 |
| 1997 🔥 | 33.4°C | 24.9°C | 16.5°C | 38.9°C | 10.4°C | 4 mm | 29% | 2.4 m/s | 7.9 |
| 1996 | 30.4°C | 21.4°C | 12.5°C | 38.3°C | 7.1°C | 1 mm | 32% | 3.2 m/s | 8.1 |
| 1995 | 24.4°C | 16.6°C | 8.8°C | 32.4°C | 2.6°C | 4 mm | 50% | 2.9 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1994 | 27.9°C | 19.4°C | 10.9°C | 35.9°C | 3.9°C | 6 mm | 38% | 2.5 m/s | 7.1 |
| 1993 | 28.3°C | 20.0°C | 11.8°C | 31.6°C | 6.6°C | 2 mm | 44% | 2.6 m/s | 7.8 |
| 1992 | 29.5°C | 21.6°C | 13.7°C | 33.1°C | 9.4°C | 6 mm | 41% | 2.1 m/s | 7.4 |
| 1991 | 26.3°C | 17.5°C | 8.7°C | 33.1°C | 2.7°C | 0 mm | 39% | 3.1 m/s | 7.6 |
| 1990 | 28.1°C | 19.0°C | 10.0°C | 32.5°C | 6.5°C | 4 mm | 35% | 3.5 m/s | 7.7 |
| 1989 | 29.9°C | 21.0°C | 12.1°C | 36.6°C | 5.6°C | 2 mm | 30% | 3 m/s | 7.6 |
| 1988 | 28.7°C | 20.0°C | 11.4°C | 36.7°C | 1.9°C | 2 mm | 29% | 2.8 m/s | 7.6 |
| 1987 | 28.1°C | 20.2°C | 12.3°C | 33.4°C | 6.0°C | 6 mm | 36% | 2.5 m/s | 7.2 |
| 1986 | 29.4°C | 20.5°C | 11.6°C | 36.2°C | 4.4°C | 0 mm | 29% | 2.8 m/s | 7.9 |
| 1985 | 29.7°C | 20.7°C | 11.7°C | 33.9°C | 5.7°C | 0 mm | 26% | 2.9 m/s | 7.8 |
| 1984 | 33.4°C | 24.1°C | 14.8°C | 39.3°C | 6.9°C | 1 mm | 23% | 2.7 m/s | 7.5 |
| 1983 | 27.9°C | 19.3°C | 10.8°C | 37.0°C | 3.4°C | 1 mm | 39% | 2.9 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 27.9°C | 19.5°C | 11.1°C | 34.6°C | 4.2°C | 9 mm | 38% | 2.8 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 28.7°C | 20.0°C | 11.3°C | 33.2°C | 5.8°C | 10 mm | 32% | 2.9 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 29.2°C with lows near 12°C (mean 20.6°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 3 mm of rainfall in Desert Hot Springs, about average for rainfall. The wettest on record was 19 mm in 1998.
The hottest May reached 40.5°C in 2003. The coldest dipped to 1.9°C in 1988.
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 29.5°C to 29.9°C and overnight lows from 11.9°C to 12.5°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Desert Hot Springs and about average for rainfall, so plan for around 29.2°C daytime highs and 12°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Desert Hot Springs, averaging 20.6°C.
For May in Desert Hot Springs, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 29.2°C and lows of 12°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 35% — relatively dry.
Average wind speed in May is 2.8 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 3.5 m/s (1990).
The wettest May on record was 1998 with 19 mm. On average, May sees 3 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 Desert Hot Springs 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.
