Las Vegas Weather in May
Las Vegas, Nevada begins to get a taste in May of the extremely hot weather that will dominate for the next few months. This usually is the first month for 100-degree Fahrenheit temperatures (over 37 degrees Celsius) and thunderstorms.
This page gives detailed information on the typical May temperature, precipitation, sun, humidity, wind and storms for Las Vegas. The numbers here are historical averages based on climate data gathered at the McCarran International Airport, located near the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Temperature
| 89 °F | May average high | 31 °C |
| 66 °F | May average low | 19 °C |
| 16 days | 90 °F max. or more (32 °C) |
| 23 days | 70 °F min. or less (21 °C) |
Nearly every day in May warms to over 70 °F (21 °C) in Las Vegas. For an average of 3 days this month the thermometer reaches into the 100s °F (over 37 °C).
At night, the thermometer dips to 60 °F (16 °C) or below on 8 days. Often May does not get as cold as 50 °F (10 °C).
Rain
| 0.1 in | total precipitation | 2 mm |
| 1 day | of rain |
Most years, Las Vegas gets no precipitation at all in May. About one in four years receives just 0.1 inches (2 mm) or so of rain.
Sun
| 88 % | sunshine |
| 18 days | clear skies |
The sun's rays reach the ground in Las Vegas during 88 percent of daylight hours on average in May, for a total of 385 hours in the month. Typically on 18 days this month the sky is mainly clear, with at most 30 percent cloud cover.
Sunlight in May at Las Vegas lasts for 14 hours and 6 minutes a day on average. The shortest day of the month is the 1st with 13 hours and 41 minutes of daylight. By the end of the month, the days have lengthened to 14:27 from sunrise to sunset. These durations can vary by a minute or two from year to year.
Humidity
| 21 % | May average humidity |
The relative humidity in Las Vegas during May usually peaks at 31 percent in the morning then drops to 13 percent around mid afternoon.
| Local Time | 1 am | 4 am | 7 am | 10 am | 1 pm | 4 pm | 7 pm | 10 pm |
| Humidity % | 27 | 31 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 22 |
Wind
| 10.7 mph | May wind speed average | 17.2 kph |
May is a little windier than most other months in Las Vegas.
Storms
| 0 days | rainfall of 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) or more |
| 1 day | with thunderstorms in May |
About once a decade, Las Vegas receives as much as an inch (25 mm) of rain in one day during May.
The first thunderstorms of the year usually show up in May.
Reference
The weather data here are long-term averages provided by the US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Temperature and precipitation are 1991-2020 normals while humidity and thunderstorms are 1961-1990 normals.