May is one of the warmer months of the year in Syracuse, with average highs near 19.3°C and lows around 8°C (mean 13.7°C). It is about average for rainfall, averaging 93 mm of rainfall and 77% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Syracuse. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Syracuse was 2012 — when the month averaged 16.7°C — while the coldest was 1997 at 10.1°C. Typical May days reach 19.3°C with nights near 8°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.4°C per decade.
May is about average for rainfall in Syracuse, averaging 93 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 2004 with 179 mm, while the driest was 2005 at 21 mm.
Relative humidity in Syracuse during May averages 77%. The most humid May was 2011 at 85%, and the least humid was 1999 at 69%.
May receives about 5.4 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Syracuse. The sunniest May was 2023 at 6.5 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 1984 at 3.9.
Average wind speed in Syracuse during May is 0.4 m/s. The windiest Mays were 1995, 1997 and 2009 at 0.5 m/s, while the calmest were 2023, 2024 and 2025, among others at 0.4 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 13.3°C | 13.0°C | 13.3°C | 14.8°C | 14.0°C | +0.7°C |
| Avg High | 19.0°C | 18.7°C | 18.9°C | 20.4°C | 19.5°C | +0.5°C |
| Avg Low | 7.6°C | 7.3°C | 7.6°C | 9.2°C | 8.5°C | +0.9°C |
| Avg Rain | 92 mm | 86 mm | 97 mm | 101 mm | 86 mm | -7 mm |
May temperatures in Syracuse have risen by about 1.5°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of -2.3°C (2020) to a record high of 35.6°C (2006).
Rainfall in May is about average for rainfall, averaging 93 mm, with a wettest year of 179 mm.
A good time to visit Syracuse
May is a good time to visit Syracuse, with days averaging 19.3°C and nights around 8°C (mean 13.7°C, warmer than Syracuse's yearly average) and higher rainfall. July and August 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 | 17.6°C | 13.1°C | 8.5°C | 27.7°C | 2.8°C | 162 mm | 83% | 0.4 m/s | 4.4 |
| 2024 | 21.5°C | 16.4°C | 11.3°C | 29.6°C | 6.2°C | 90 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 19.2°C | 13.1°C | 6.9°C | 32.2°C | 1.1°C | 35 mm | 70% | 0.4 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2022 | 21.6°C | 15.6°C | 9.6°C | 29.2°C | 0.4°C | 71 mm | 77% | 0.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2021 | 19.3°C | 13.5°C | 7.7°C | 30.2°C | -0.2°C | 79 mm | 73% | 0.4 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2020 | 17.8°C | 12.4°C | 6.9°C | 32.7°C | -2.3°C | 77 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2019 | 18.1°C | 12.5°C | 7.0°C | 25.7°C | 2.1°C | 147 mm | 82% | 0.4 m/s | 4.6 |
| 2018 | 22.3°C | 16.5°C | 10.7°C | 29.3°C | 1.0°C | 65 mm | 79% | 0.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2017 | 17.5°C | 12.7°C | 7.9°C | 27.6°C | -1.2°C | 143 mm | 81% | 0.4 m/s | 4.6 |
| 2016 | 19.2°C | 13.6°C | 8.0°C | 34.0°C | 1.8°C | 61 mm | 75% | 0.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2015 | 22.8°C | 16.6°C | 10.3°C | 31.5°C | 0.0°C | 100 mm | 72% | 0.4 m/s | 6 |
| 2014 | 19.6°C | 14.1°C | 8.6°C | 26.6°C | 2.2°C | 97 mm | 79% | 0.4 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2013 | 20.5°C | 14.8°C | 9.2°C | 30.5°C | -0.8°C | 102 mm | 75% | 0.4 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2012 🔥 | 22.4°C | 16.7°C | 10.9°C | 31.0°C | 4.0°C | 99 mm | 76% | 0.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2011 | 20.0°C | 15.1°C | 10.2°C | 29.1°C | 2.4°C | 130 mm | 85% | 0.4 m/s | 4.9 |
| 2010 | 21.7°C | 15.5°C | 9.3°C | 32.5°C | -0.7°C | 70 mm | 72% | 0.4 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2009 | 19.4°C | 13.4°C | 7.4°C | 27.1°C | 1.2°C | 109 mm | 74% | 0.5 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2008 | 17.2°C | 11.5°C | 5.8°C | 25.4°C | -0.4°C | 50 mm | 76% | 0.4 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2007 | 20.4°C | 13.9°C | 7.4°C | 30.4°C | 0.8°C | 32 mm | 71% | 0.4 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2006 | 19.9°C | 14.2°C | 8.6°C | 35.6°C | 0.4°C | 75 mm | 75% | 0.4 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2005 | 17.1°C | 11.5°C | 5.8°C | 24.3°C | -1.1°C | 21 mm | 75% | 0.4 m/s | 6.1 |
| 2004 🌧️ | 20.3°C | 14.9°C | 9.5°C | 28.5°C | 1.6°C | 179 mm | 82% | 0.4 m/s | 5.1 |
| 2003 | 17.9°C | 12.9°C | 7.9°C | 24.2°C | 1.9°C | 138 mm | 81% | 0.4 m/s | 4.8 |
| 2002 | 16.9°C | 11.3°C | 5.8°C | 25.5°C | -1.3°C | 149 mm | 76% | 0.4 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2001 | 20.6°C | 14.7°C | 8.8°C | 28.5°C | 1.6°C | 62 mm | 73% | 0.4 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2000 | 19.5°C | 14.3°C | 9.0°C | 27.8°C | 2.2°C | 157 mm | 81% | 0.4 m/s | 4.8 |
| 1999 | 21.8°C | 15.3°C | 8.8°C | 32.3°C | 3.2°C | 42 mm | 69% | 0.4 m/s | 5.9 |
| 1998 | 21.4°C | 16.0°C | 10.5°C | 28.6°C | 4.6°C | 82 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1997 ❄️ | 15.4°C | 10.1°C | 4.8°C | 22.9°C | -1.7°C | 78 mm | 75% | 0.5 m/s | 5.1 |
| 1996 | 16.9°C | 11.4°C | 5.9°C | 27.0°C | -1.5°C | 99 mm | 77% | 0.4 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1995 | 18.6°C | 12.7°C | 6.8°C | 27.2°C | -2.0°C | 49 mm | 71% | 0.5 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1994 | 17.1°C | 11.3°C | 5.4°C | 27.1°C | -1.0°C | 76 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | 5.3 |
| 1993 | 18.9°C | 13.0°C | 7.0°C | 28.5°C | 2.2°C | 58 mm | 76% | 0.4 m/s | 5.4 |
| 1992 | 18.8°C | 12.6°C | 6.5°C | 27.8°C | 0.2°C | 125 mm | 76% | 0.4 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1991 | 21.9°C | 16.1°C | 10.3°C | 28.9°C | 0.5°C | 88 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | 5.2 |
| 1990 | 16.5°C | 11.5°C | 6.5°C | 24.3°C | 1.0°C | 162 mm | 79% | 0.4 m/s | 4.8 |
| 1989 | 17.8°C | 13.0°C | 8.2°C | 27.5°C | 0.5°C | 154 mm | 81% | 0.4 m/s | 4.6 |
| 1988 | 20.2°C | 14.0°C | 7.8°C | 28.6°C | 1.2°C | 75 mm | 75% | 0.4 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1987 | 20.6°C | 14.2°C | 7.9°C | 29.6°C | -0.3°C | 37 mm | 74% | 0.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 1986 | 20.3°C | 14.7°C | 9.1°C | 27.4°C | -1.1°C | 92 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | 5.4 |
| 1985 | 20.1°C | 14.3°C | 8.4°C | 27.5°C | -0.2°C | 72 mm | 72% | 0.4 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1984 | 15.9°C | 10.8°C | 5.8°C | 25.2°C | -0.2°C | 154 mm | 80% | 0.4 m/s | 3.9 |
| 1983 | 16.4°C | 11.1°C | 5.8°C | 23.1°C | -1.9°C | 98 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 20.4°C | 14.6°C | 8.7°C | 27.6°C | 3.0°C | 88 mm | 78% | 0.4 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 19.5°C | 13.2°C | 6.9°C | 26.1°C | -0.7°C | 61 mm | 72% | 0.4 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 19.3°C with lows near 8°C (mean 13.7°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 93 mm of rainfall in Syracuse, about average for rainfall. The wettest on record was 179 mm in 2004.
The hottest May reached 35.6°C in 2006. The coldest dipped to -2.3°C in 2020.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.5°C. Daytime highs moved from 18.5°C to 19.8°C and overnight lows from 7.1°C to 8.8°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Syracuse and about average for rainfall, so plan for around 19.3°C daytime highs and 8°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Syracuse, averaging 13.7°C.
For May in Syracuse, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 19.3°C and lows of 8°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in May averages 77% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 0.4 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 0.5 m/s (1995).
The wettest May on record was 2004 with 179 mm. On average, May sees 93 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 Syracuse 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.
