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| NOAA's May 2025 temperature outlook |
May is the third and final month of "meteorological" spring. It often feels like summer by the end of the month.
Average daily temperatures in May rise appreciably in the nation’s capital. Daily average temperatures range from a high/low of 73°/54° on May 1 to 80°/63° by the end of the month. DC’s hottest May temperature on record of 99° occurred on May 31, 1991. Meanwhile, DC’s coldest May temperature of 33° occurred long ago on May 11, 1906.
DC’s May weather can be quite streaky. For example, four of DC’s 10 warmest May’s have happened since 2012. By comparison, three of the last five May’s have been cooler than average.
May is DC’s third wettest month of the year according to NOAA, with an average monthly rainfall total of 3.94”. Rain can accumulate quickly in the nation’s capital this time of year. For instance, May 2008 was DC’s third wettest May with 10.66” of rain. It had an incredible total of five days with an inch or more of rain.
May is frequently an active severe weather month in the D.C. metropolitan area. On several dates a trace of snowfall (enough to accumulate, but not enough to measure) has occurred. Except it wasn’t actually snow, but hail. For example, on May 2, 2016, a severe weather outbreak produced a lot of hail around the nation’s capital. Small accumulations of hail were reported in spots such as National Airport where a “trace” of frozen precipitation was observed.
Although summer doesn’t officially arrive until June, May often features summer-like heat. The nation’s capital has averaged between one and two May days with highs in the 90s over the last 30 years, according to NOAA. DC residents can also expect to see a high of at least 95° roughly once every four to five years, with the last such occurrence being a high of 96° on May 31, 2022.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects May 2025 to feature above average temperatures and near average rainfall in the nation’s capital.
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