May is one of the warmer months of the year in Sacramento, with average highs near 26.1°C and lows around 10.7°C (mean 18.4°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 23 mm of rainfall and 61% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Sacramento. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Sacramento was 2001 — when the month averaged 23°C — while the coldest was 1998 at 13.4°C. Typical May days reach 26.1°C with nights near 10.7°C. The long-term May temperature trend is broadly flat.
May is one of the drier months in Sacramento, averaging 23 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1998 with 99 mm, while the driest was 2001 at 0 mm.
Relative humidity in Sacramento during May averages 61%. The most humid May was 1998 at 80%, and the least humid was 2021 at 44%.
May receives about 7.4 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Sacramento. The sunniest May was 2021 at 8.3 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 1998 at 6.1.
Average wind speed in Sacramento during May is 2.1 m/s. The windiest May was 2021 at 2.6 m/s, while the calmest were 1982 and 1995 at 1.5 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 18.2°C | 17.8°C | 19.2°C | 17.7°C | 19.3°C | +1.1°C |
| Avg High | 26.0°C | 25.1°C | 27.3°C | 25.2°C | 27.6°C | +1.6°C |
| Avg Low | 10.4°C | 10.7°C | 11.1°C | 10.2°C | 11.0°C | +0.6°C |
| Avg Rain | 8 mm | 40 mm | 24 mm | 24 mm | 14 mm | +5 mm |
May temperatures in Sacramento have risen by about 1.1°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of 3.3°C (1983) to a record high of 41.4°C (2001).
Rainfall in May is one of the drier months, averaging 23 mm, with a wettest year of 99 mm.
A good time to visit Sacramento
May is a good time to visit Sacramento, with days averaging 26.1°C and nights around 10.7°C (mean 18.4°C, warmer than Sacramento's yearly average) and low rainfall. June 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 | 28.6°C | 20.0°C | 11.4°C | 39.5°C | 8.1°C | 3 mm | 57% | 2.3 m/s | 8 |
| 2024 | 27.3°C | 19.0°C | 10.7°C | 34.9°C | 5.3°C | 28 mm | 59% | 2.3 m/s | 8 |
| 2023 | 22.8°C | 16.3°C | 9.9°C | 29.5°C | 6.8°C | 19 mm | 76% | 2 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2022 | 27.9°C | 19.4°C | 10.8°C | 37.6°C | 4.1°C | 2 mm | 50% | 2.2 m/s | 7.8 |
| 2021 | 30.6°C | 21.1°C | 11.5°C | 41.3°C | 7.9°C | 1 mm | 44% | 2.6 m/s | 8.3 |
| 2020 | 28.4°C | 20.2°C | 12.0°C | 39.3°C | 8.6°C | 29 mm | 55% | 2 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2019 | 21.8°C | 15.6°C | 9.4°C | 28.2°C | 6.5°C | 98 mm | 77% | 2.1 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2018 | 25.6°C | 18.0°C | 10.4°C | 35.3°C | 7.5°C | 12 mm | 66% | 2.2 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2017 | 24.2°C | 17.4°C | 10.6°C | 31.0°C | 5.8°C | 7 mm | 73% | 2 m/s | 7.8 |
| 2016 | 25.9°C | 18.6°C | 11.3°C | 36.8°C | 7.3°C | 13 mm | 65% | 2 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2015 | 25.5°C | 17.7°C | 9.9°C | 32.8°C | 7.2°C | 13 mm | 61% | 2.5 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2014 | 29.0°C | 20.4°C | 11.8°C | 35.9°C | 7.4°C | 4 mm | 49% | 2.3 m/s | 7.8 |
| 2013 | 28.9°C | 20.3°C | 11.8°C | 35.7°C | 7.0°C | 10 mm | 49% | 2.3 m/s | 7.7 |
| 2012 | 27.9°C | 19.1°C | 10.4°C | 36.1°C | 6.6°C | 2 mm | 55% | 2.2 m/s | 7.9 |
| 2011 | 21.1°C | 14.6°C | 8.2°C | 29.7°C | 5.2°C | 46 mm | 71% | 2.3 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2010 | 21.8°C | 14.9°C | 8.1°C | 29.4°C | 3.6°C | 36 mm | 67% | 2.1 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2009 | 28.5°C | 20.2°C | 11.9°C | 38.6°C | 8.5°C | 44 mm | 60% | 2.1 m/s | 7.4 |
| 2008 | 28.1°C | 19.6°C | 11.1°C | 40.0°C | 5.2°C | 6 mm | 52% | 2.4 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2007 | 28.5°C | 19.4°C | 10.3°C | 33.3°C | 5.5°C | 11 mm | 52% | 2.4 m/s | 7.9 |
| 2006 | 25.2°C | 18.1°C | 11.1°C | 31.3°C | 7.6°C | 18 mm | 71% | 1.7 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2005 | 25.0°C | 18.1°C | 11.1°C | 33.6°C | 7.0°C | 53 mm | 69% | 1.9 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2004 | 28.2°C | 19.6°C | 11.1°C | 35.0°C | 8.2°C | 5 mm | 55% | 2.3 m/s | 7.9 |
| 2003 | 25.4°C | 18.1°C | 10.8°C | 36.2°C | 5.7°C | 26 mm | 64% | 1.9 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2002 | 26.3°C | 18.0°C | 9.7°C | 36.6°C | 6.8°C | 32 mm | 60% | 2.1 m/s | 7.7 |
| 2001 🔥 | 32.6°C | 23.0°C | 13.4°C | 41.4°C | 8.8°C | 0 mm | 45% | 2.1 m/s | 8.1 |
| 2000 | 25.6°C | 18.3°C | 11.0°C | 36.0°C | 3.4°C | 42 mm | 65% | 1.8 m/s | 7 |
| 1999 | 25.8°C | 17.5°C | 9.2°C | 36.3°C | 4.7°C | 9 mm | 60% | 2.2 m/s | 7.9 |
| 1998 ❄️ 🌧️ | 18.4°C | 13.4°C | 8.4°C | 23.1°C | 5.2°C | 99 mm | 80% | 2 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1997 | 30.7°C | 22.0°C | 13.3°C | 37.4°C | 6.4°C | 10 mm | 54% | 1.9 m/s | 7.6 |
| 1996 | 24.5°C | 17.7°C | 11.0°C | 32.8°C | 7.8°C | 69 mm | 67% | 2 m/s | 7 |
| 1995 | 21.0°C | 15.3°C | 9.7°C | 27.8°C | 5.0°C | 45 mm | 79% | 1.5 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1994 | 26.2°C | 18.6°C | 10.9°C | 35.6°C | 7.4°C | 33 mm | 60% | 1.9 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1993 | 23.5°C | 17.1°C | 10.7°C | 29.7°C | 6.4°C | 38 mm | 71% | 1.8 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1992 | 30.7°C | 22.2°C | 13.8°C | 35.8°C | 10.7°C | 1 mm | 55% | 2 m/s | 7.6 |
| 1991 | 23.9°C | 16.5°C | 9.1°C | 31.1°C | 5.4°C | 19 mm | 60% | 2 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1990 | 25.8°C | 18.1°C | 10.4°C | 34.4°C | 6.9°C | 73 mm | 57% | 2.3 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1989 | 25.9°C | 18.2°C | 10.5°C | 31.6°C | 7.1°C | 5 mm | 58% | 2 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1988 | 25.7°C | 17.6°C | 9.6°C | 34.8°C | 3.5°C | 22 mm | 54% | 2.2 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1987 | 29.5°C | 21.2°C | 12.9°C | 37.5°C | 6.2°C | 4 mm | 51% | 2.1 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1986 | 23.8°C | 16.6°C | 9.4°C | 31.4°C | 3.3°C | 11 mm | 69% | 1.7 m/s | 7 |
| 1985 | 26.8°C | 18.1°C | 9.5°C | 32.9°C | 6.9°C | 1 mm | 52% | 2.2 m/s | 7.6 |
| 1984 | 28.3°C | 20.1°C | 11.9°C | 39.0°C | 6.2°C | 4 mm | 54% | 2 m/s | 7.4 |
| 1983 | 22.5°C | 15.8°C | 9.1°C | 28.8°C | 3.3°C | 12 mm | 76% | 1.7 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 24.1°C | 17.0°C | 10.0°C | 33.4°C | 6.6°C | 1 mm | 73% | 1.5 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 27.6°C | 19.3°C | 10.9°C | 34.8°C | 6.2°C | 15 mm | 53% | 2 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 26.1°C with lows near 10.7°C (mean 18.4°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 23 mm of rainfall in Sacramento, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 99 mm in 1998.
The hottest May reached 41.4°C in 2001. The coldest dipped to 3.3°C in 1983.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.1°C. Daytime highs moved from 25.9°C to 27.4°C and overnight lows from 10.3°C to 10.9°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Sacramento and one of the drier months, so plan for around 26.1°C daytime highs and 10.7°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 7th coolest month in Sacramento, averaging 18.4°C.
For May in Sacramento, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 26.1°C and lows of 10.7°C.
Relative humidity in May averages 61% — moderately humid.
Average wind speed in May is 2.1 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 2.6 m/s (2021).
The wettest May on record was 1998 with 99 mm. On average, May sees 23 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 Sacramento 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.
