Washington DC, District of Columbia weather in May

Historical temperature average in May

In Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States
75°F
highs
56°F
lows
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General weather summary

Mildly cool with a gentle breeze
Feels like
36%
Chance of rain
0.167 in
Amount
12.2 mph
Wind speed
74%
Humidity
14.3 hrs
Daylight length
5:56 AM
Sunrise
8:12 PM
Sunset
44%
Cloud cover
T-shirt
What to wear
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Table of contents

What is the average temperature in May

The average temperature in Washington DC in May for a typical day ranges from a high of 75°F (24°C) to a low of 56°F (13°C). Some would describe it as mildly cool with a gentle breeze.

For comparison, the hottest month in Washington DC, July, has days with highs of 89°F (32°C) and lows of 70°F (21°C). The coldest month, January has days with highs of 41°F (5°C) and lows of 26°F (-3°C). This graph shows how an average day looks like in Washington DC in May based on historical data.

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Highs and lows in Washington DC in May

How much does it rain in May

In Washington DC in May, there's a 36% chance of rain on an average day. And on the average day it rains or snows, we get 0.46 in (11.7 mm) of precipitation. In more common terms of how much that is, some would describe it as light rain.

The wettest month in Washington DC is April where a typical day has a 38% chance of precipitation and gets 0.17 inches (4.2 mm) of precipitation, while the dryest month in Washington DC is November where a typical day has a 23% chance of precipitation and gets 0.19 inches (4.8 mm) of precipitation. These graphs show the probability of it raining/snowing in May and the amount of rainfall.

Chance of rain or snow on an average Washington DC day by month
Average precipitation by hour of day
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How cloudy is Washington DC in May

The average amount of time that the sky is clear or sunny (partly cloudy or less) in Washington DC during May is 10.5 hours (44% of the day). For comparison, the month with the most clear, sunny days in Washington DC is October with an average of 14.1 hours per day while February has the shortest amount of cloud-free hours with only 10.2 hours per day. This graph shows the average amount of sunshine in Washington DC in May based on historical data.
Monthly clear skies percent of time in Washington DC

When is sunrise and sunset in May

The average day in Washington DC during May has 14.3 hours of daylight, with sunrise at 5:56 AM and sunset at 8:12 PM.

The day with the longest amount of daylight in Washington DC is June 20th with 14.9 hours while December 21st has the shortest amount of daylight with only 9.4 hours.

This graph shows the average amount of daylight in Washington DC in May based on historical data.

Average hours of daylight in Washington DC by month

How humid is it in May

In May, Washington DC is moderately humid with an average amount of 74% (relative humidity), which could be described as humid but cool. December has the highest relative humidity at 82% and is the least humid in July at 63%. This graph shows the average amount of humidity in Washington DC throughout May based on historical data.
Average relative humidity in Washington DC by month

How windy is it in May

Historically, the wind in Washington DC during May blows at an average speed of 12.2 mph (19.6 kph). The windiest month is March with an average wind speed of 15.2 mph (24.5 kph), while the calmest month is July with an average wind speed of 9.5 mph (15.3 kph). This graph shows the average wind speed in Washington DC in May based on historical data.
Average monthly wind speed in Washington DC

What to wear in May

With an average high of 75°F (24°C) and a low of 56°F (13°C), it generally feels mildly cool with a gentle breeze. There might also be a small chance of rain. With that in mind, most people would dress in something light like your favorite t-shirt
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What's the weather like in Washington DC the rest of the year

We've collected the weather data for Washington DC during all other months of the year too:

Where does this data come from

Weather data for Washington DC was collected from the MERRA-2 project from NASA, which used a climate model combined with historical data from weather stations around the world to estimate what the conditions were like for every point on the Earth.

For all data based on historical data, we've averaged the data from the past 11 years (2010-2020). For example, for the hourly temperature at 10am, we've looked at the temperature at 10am on every day in May (e.g., May 1, May 2, etc. in 2010, 2011, etc.) and took the arithmetic mean. We did not smooth the data, so for example, our daily temperature line will have some randomness due to the fact that weather is random in the first place.

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