yearsofweather

Shanghai in May:
comfortably warm,

Shanghai, China · Records from 2006 to 2025. Not a forecast.

Mean high25°Hottest day 34.7° (2018)
Mean low18°Coldest night 10.5° (2014)
Rain days7 days3-15 by year
Rainfall81mmDaylight 13.4 → 14.0 h
Shanghai's 12 months iBest: May and October
Trip types Sightseeing on foot Goodmild
Humidity74%4 muggy days
Clear days5 days14 overcast days
Mean wind14 km/hRarely windy
Sunrise / sunset (15th)04:58 / 18:42Daylight 13.4 → 14.0 h

Shanghai in May

Neither hot nor cold, a good month for walking. The Labour Day holiday runs from May 1, so spots like the Bund and the Pudong observation decks get crowded. Once it ends the city calms down. By late May the midday sun gets strong, so bring sunscreen.

Afternoons reached 25°C and nights settled at 18°C, warm enough to linger over lunch outdoors. Showers came now and then, about 7 rain days in all, and most of the month stayed dry. The average is 7, but individual years ran from 3 (2007) to 15 (2016).

About 2 days a month still climbed past 30°C, the ones where you looked for shade.

Typhoons i No tropical storm passed within 300 km in this month over the last 20 years. Typhoons: June to November

Date by date i

‹ April May 2027 June ›
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Week
May 1rain on 15% of days25° 16°
2-8rain on 24% of days24° 16°
9-15rain on 26% of days25° 17°
16-22rain on 19% of days26° 18°
23-29rain on 25% of days26° 19°
30-31rain on 23% of days26° 19°

0-5/206-8/209-11/2012-20/20

May 1rain on 15% of days25° 16°
2-8rain on 24% of days24° 16°
9-15rain on 26% of days25° 17°
16-22rain on 19% of days26° 18°
23-29rain on 25% of days26° 19°
30-31rain on 23% of days26° 19°
Tap another date to change

2006none
2007none
200815mm
2009none
20103mm
2011none
201240mm
20132mm
2014none
201518mm
201622mm
201710mm
2018none
2019none
20201mm
2021none
2022none
2023none
2024none
202522mm
Holidays in May (2027)
  • May 1 to May 2 Labour Day *
  • May 31 Memorial Day

* Provisional: not yet officially announced.

1 Local public holiday or break (busier, pricier)1 US holidays (flights fill up)

Day by day temperature i

14°21°29°36° 1815222931

Mean high Mean low Coldest to warmest high in 20 years

Your trip dates, the past 20 years

Trip dates ~

You can also click two dates on the axis. Hover a cell to see that day's rain.
Trip rain days Month rain days
2006
2 d 9 d
2007
0 d 3 d
2008
2 d 6 d
2009
1 d 5 d
2010
2 d 5 d
2011
0 d 3 d
2012
1 d 8 d
2013
2 d 8 d
2014
1 d 7 d
2015
2 d 10 d
2016
4 d 15 d
2017
3 d 5 d
2018
3 d 10 d
2019
0 d 6 d
2020
2 d 10 d
2021
1 d 10 d
2022
0 d 4 d
2023
4 d 7 d
2024
2 d 7 d
2025
2 d 6 d
Years with rain
Tap a date to start, tap another to end. Each cell is that date in one year.
'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
of 20
3
5
1
6
7
3
3
9
7
4
5
3
6
5
6
5
5
4
5
2
2
4
5
4
5
7
7
3
4
5
4
Rain days on trip
20212012124330210422

No rain1-9 mm10 mm or more Dates outside your trip are dimmed.

One row per year, one cell per day. 2007 had 3 rain days, 2016 had 15.

Shanghai through the year

MonthHighLowRain daysRainfall
January 9°2°6 days56mm
February 10°4°8 days62mm
March 15°7°9 days73mm
April 20°12°7 days73mm
MayGood 25°18°7 days81mm
June 28°22°11 days186mm
July 33°26°10 days166mm
August 32°26°8 days156mm
September 28°23°9 days145mm
OctoberGood 23°17°6 days71mm
November 18°11°7 days62mm
December 11°4°6 days39mm

Common questions

Does it rain a lot in Shanghai in May?

Over the past 20 years May averaged 7 rain days (1 mm or more) out of 31. Individual years ran from 3 in the driest to 15 in the wettest.

What should I wear in Shanghai in May?

Days averaged 25°C and nights 18°C. Pack a compact umbrella, a light layer for the evenings, T-shirts, and sunscreen plus a hat.

Is May a good time to visit Shanghai?

On warmth and rain days alone, Shanghai's easiest months were May and October. May ranked 2 of 12, close to the top.

How many clear days does Shanghai get in May?

About 5 clear days (under 30% cloud on average) and 14 overcast days (80% or more).