May is close to Irvine's year-round average, with average highs near 22.5°C and lows around 12.9°C (mean 17.7°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 7 mm of rainfall and 69% relative humidity across the period.
May is close to Irvine's year-round average. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Irvine was 1984 — when the month averaged 21°C — while the coldest was 1995 at 15.2°C. Typical May days reach 22.5°C with nights near 12.9°C. The long-term trend is cooling, about 0.2°C per decade.
May is one of the drier months in Irvine, averaging 7 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1998 with 56 mm, while the driest were 2004 and 2007 at 0 mm.
Relative humidity in Irvine during May averages 69%. The most humid May was 2019 at 80%, and the least humid was 1984 at 53%.
May receives about 6.8 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Irvine. The sunniest Mays were 2014 and 2020 at 7.7 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1994, 1995 and 2023 at 5.8.
Average wind speed in Irvine during May is 2.4 m/s. The windiest Mays were 2011, 2018 and 2019, among others at 2.7 m/s, while the calmest were 1997 and 2005 at 2.1 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 18.3°C | 17.4°C | 18.0°C | 17.4°C | 17.5°C | -0.8°C |
| Avg High | 23.6°C | 22.0°C | 22.9°C | 22.0°C | 22.0°C | -1.6°C |
| Avg Low | 12.9°C | 12.8°C | 13.1°C | 12.8°C | 13.0°C | +0.1°C |
| Avg Rain | 3 mm | 11 mm | 5 mm | 11 mm | 4 mm | +1 mm |
May temperatures in Irvine have fallen by about 1°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of 7.8°C (1988) to a record high of 35.2°C (2014).
Rainfall in May is one of the drier months, averaging 7 mm, with a wettest year of 56 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs fell about 0.4°C per decade while lows rose 0°C per decade, narrowing the gap between day and night.
A good time to visit Irvine
May is a good time to visit Irvine, with days averaging 22.5°C and nights around 12.9°C (mean 17.7°C, close to Irvine's yearly average) and low rainfall. July and September 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 | 23.1°C | 18.5°C | 13.9°C | 31.3°C | 11.5°C | 6 mm | 72% | 2.4 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2024 | 20.3°C | 16.2°C | 12.1°C | 22.7°C | 10.2°C | 3 mm | 78% | 2.5 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2023 | 19.8°C | 16.1°C | 12.4°C | 23.9°C | 10.5°C | 13 mm | 79% | 2.5 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2022 | 22.9°C | 17.8°C | 12.8°C | 29.8°C | 9.9°C | 0 mm | 68% | 2.5 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2021 | 22.4°C | 17.5°C | 12.6°C | 28.6°C | 10.2°C | 1 mm | 70% | 2.5 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2020 | 23.7°C | 19.0°C | 14.2°C | 28.6°C | 11.9°C | 2 mm | 71% | 2.2 m/s | 7.7 |
| 2019 | 19.5°C | 16.0°C | 12.4°C | 23.1°C | 10.0°C | 28 mm | 80% | 2.7 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2018 | 21.5°C | 17.3°C | 13.1°C | 29.5°C | 10.4°C | 5 mm | 72% | 2.7 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2017 | 22.0°C | 17.5°C | 13.0°C | 29.3°C | 9.1°C | 14 mm | 70% | 2.4 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2016 | 21.4°C | 17.2°C | 13.0°C | 26.4°C | 11.8°C | 10 mm | 74% | 2.6 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2015 | 21.1°C | 17.1°C | 13.0°C | 29.7°C | 10.9°C | 28 mm | 72% | 2.6 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2014 | 25.5°C | 20.1°C | 14.6°C | 35.2°C | 11.2°C | 1 mm | 58% | 2.5 m/s | 7.7 |
| 2013 | 23.9°C | 18.8°C | 13.7°C | 31.9°C | 11.7°C | 11 mm | 66% | 2.5 m/s | 7.4 |
| 2012 | 22.9°C | 17.7°C | 12.4°C | 28.1°C | 9.9°C | 1 mm | 67% | 2.3 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2011 | 20.8°C | 16.2°C | 11.6°C | 29.4°C | 9.2°C | 14 mm | 69% | 2.7 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2010 | 20.9°C | 16.0°C | 11.2°C | 26.2°C | 8.8°C | 1 mm | 70% | 2.4 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2009 | 23.5°C | 18.5°C | 13.4°C | 28.4°C | 11.6°C | 0 mm | 70% | 2.2 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2008 | 22.1°C | 17.4°C | 12.8°C | 33.4°C | 9.9°C | 6 mm | 67% | 2.5 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2007 | 22.4°C | 17.2°C | 12.0°C | 32.0°C | 9.9°C | 0 mm | 65% | 2.3 m/s | 7 |
| 2006 | 23.0°C | 18.2°C | 13.3°C | 29.0°C | 11.5°C | 13 mm | 70% | 2.2 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2005 | 22.2°C | 18.0°C | 13.8°C | 27.4°C | 10.7°C | 6 mm | 74% | 2.1 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2004 | 24.2°C | 19.2°C | 14.2°C | 32.6°C | 11.2°C | 0 mm | 63% | 2.5 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2003 | 21.6°C | 17.1°C | 12.6°C | 31.1°C | 8.3°C | 14 mm | 71% | 2.3 m/s | 6.6 |
| 2002 | 22.0°C | 16.8°C | 11.7°C | 30.6°C | 9.7°C | 1 mm | 67% | 2.4 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2001 | 24.2°C | 19.0°C | 13.8°C | 29.2°C | 10.5°C | 2 mm | 69% | 2.2 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2000 | 23.3°C | 18.6°C | 13.8°C | 30.1°C | 11.2°C | 5 mm | 69% | 2.3 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1999 | 20.8°C | 16.1°C | 11.4°C | 26.3°C | 8.2°C | 1 mm | 71% | 2.4 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1998 🌧️ | 19.0°C | 15.5°C | 12.0°C | 22.4°C | 10.1°C | 56 mm | 77% | 2.6 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1997 | 26.3°C | 20.9°C | 15.6°C | 30.7°C | 12.1°C | 1 mm | 66% | 2.1 m/s | 7.2 |
| 1996 | 23.2°C | 18.3°C | 13.4°C | 28.5°C | 11.1°C | 1 mm | 69% | 2.4 m/s | 7.5 |
| 1995 ❄️ | 18.9°C | 15.2°C | 11.5°C | 25.3°C | 9.4°C | 12 mm | 79% | 2.6 m/s | 5.8 |
| 1994 | 21.1°C | 16.6°C | 12.1°C | 25.1°C | 9.9°C | 6 mm | 73% | 2.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 1993 | 23.1°C | 18.4°C | 13.7°C | 30.3°C | 11.2°C | 3 mm | 72% | 2.3 m/s | 7 |
| 1992 | 24.2°C | 19.3°C | 14.4°C | 27.4°C | 12.5°C | 8 mm | 73% | 2.2 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1991 | 20.8°C | 15.9°C | 11.0°C | 28.2°C | 8.0°C | 1 mm | 69% | 2.7 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1990 | 22.9°C | 17.7°C | 12.5°C | 34.5°C | 10.8°C | 19 mm | 67% | 2.7 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1989 | 23.2°C | 18.0°C | 12.9°C | 28.0°C | 10.6°C | 4 mm | 65% | 2.5 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1988 | 23.6°C | 18.2°C | 12.7°C | 31.2°C | 7.8°C | 3 mm | 61% | 2.5 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1987 | 24.6°C | 19.4°C | 14.2°C | 30.9°C | 10.8°C | 4 mm | 60% | 2.3 m/s | 6.2 |
| 1986 | 23.4°C | 17.9°C | 12.5°C | 30.5°C | 9.1°C | 0 mm | 63% | 2.3 m/s | 7.1 |
| 1985 | 22.4°C | 17.2°C | 12.0°C | 27.7°C | 9.6°C | 1 mm | 64% | 2.4 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1984 🔥 | 27.3°C | 21.0°C | 14.6°C | 35.1°C | 10.1°C | 1 mm | 53% | 2.3 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1983 | 22.8°C | 17.6°C | 12.5°C | 27.7°C | 8.6°C | 3 mm | 70% | 2.2 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 21.8°C | 17.0°C | 12.1°C | 26.1°C | 10.2°C | 7 mm | 71% | 2.4 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 23.5°C | 18.0°C | 12.5°C | 31.1°C | 10.1°C | 6 mm | 64% | 2.5 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 22.5°C with lows near 12.9°C (mean 17.7°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 7 mm of rainfall in Irvine, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 56 mm in 1998.
The hottest May reached 35.2°C in 2014. The coldest dipped to 7.8°C in 1988.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have fallen by about 1°C — but days and nights have moved in opposite directions. Overnight lows rose from 12.7°C to 12.8°C while daytime highs eased from 23.6°C to 21.7°C, narrowing the gap between day and night.
May is close to Irvine's year-round average and one of the drier months, so plan for around 22.5°C daytime highs and 12.9°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 7th coolest month in Irvine, averaging 17.7°C.
For May in Irvine, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 22.5°C and lows of 12.9°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 69% — moderately humid.
Average wind speed in May is 2.4 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 2.7 m/s (1990).
The wettest May on record was 1998 with 56 mm. On average, May sees 7 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 Irvine 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.
