Melbourne in May
In May, Melbourne has 50.5 mm (1.99 in) of rain, a daily high of 17.6 °C (63.7 °F) and a daily low of 9.0 °C (48.2 °F), as 1991-2020 model estimates; figures in brackets are converted. The daily high is a model estimate, adjusted against station records.
Last updated : first sourced version.
Best time to visit Melbourne: May meets our rule. Expect 7.3 rain days (model estimate) and days that shorten by 49 min.
What May is like in Melbourne
- An avenue of poplar trees in Kings Domain turns gold in autumn. Close by, you can find statues of water nymphs. Source: What’s On Melbourne (City of Melbourne), checked .
- In Treasury Gardens, falling oak leaves drift past dark green conifers in autumn. After dark, the possums that live there come out. Source: What’s On Melbourne (City of Melbourne), checked .
- In autumn, a rhus tree by the main drive at Gardens House turns bright red. Its trunk is old and gnarled. The house was once the director’s home. Source: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, checked .
Key figures
Weather in May, 1991-2020 model estimates
- Daily high
- 17.6 °C (63.7 °F)
- Daily low
- 9.0 °C (48.2 °F)
- Rain
- 50.5 mm (1.99 in) in the month
- Sunshine
- no data
Model estimate 1991-2020, not a weather station: ERA5-Land model estimates (Copernicus), computed by City by Month for the grid cell nearest the city. Daily high and Days with rain: model estimate, adjusted against station records. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Checked . How we make and test model estimates
Model estimate for the ERA5-Land grid cell at 37.8° S, 145.0° E, 4 km from the city centre point.
How we define and convert these figures
Notes. Sunshine: Not in our ERA5-Land estimates.
Daylight on 15 May 2026
- Sunrise
- 07:13 local time
- Sunset
- 17:20 local time
- Day length
- 10 h 06 min
Day length 1-31 May: 10 h 33 min to 9 h 44 min, -49 min.
Source: NOAA Solar Calculator equations, checked .
Month by month
Each month: daily high in °C, then rain in mm, 1991-2020 model estimates.
ERA5-Land model estimates 1991-2020, as above, checked .
This month against the year
| Measure | May | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Daily high | 17.6 °C | 5th coldest |
| Daily low | 9.0 °C | 5th coldest |
| Rain | 50.5 mm | 3rd driest |
| Sunshine | no data | no data |
| Day length | 10 h 06 min | 3rd shortest |
Equal values share a rank. How we rank months
Melbourne in May, on average: 7.3 rain days (1 mm or more). Model estimate, adjusted against station records.
ERA5-Land model estimates 1991-2020, as above, checked .
Day length: NOAA solar equations, checked .
Public holidays this month
May 2026: none.
Checked against the official list, .
May 2027: no data. 1 date not yet set officially (Friday before the AFL Grand Final). Official list
Source: holidays Python library, checked . Library: holidays 0.105.
Same month in 8 model-estimate cities
Melbourne is the coolest of our 8 model-estimate cities in May by mean daily high. How we rank cities
Closest high and low in May: Sydney (3.4 °C apart), Porto (3.8), Istanbul (4.2).
| City | Gap from Melbourne, °C | High, °C | Low, °C | Rain, mm | Sunshine, hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne (this page) | — | 17.6 | 9.0 | 50.5 | no data |
| Sydney (closest) | 3.4 | 20.7 | 12.7 | 72.7 | no data |
| Porto (closest) | 3.8 | 21.8 | 12.4 | 98.1 | no data |
| Istanbul (closest) | 4.2 | 21.6 | 13.3 | 37.0 | no data |
| Lisbon | 5.3 | 22.5 | 14.7 | 45.1 | no data |
| Mumbai | 17.0 | 34.0 | 26.5 | no data | no data |
| Bangkok | 17.4 | 34.7 | 26.7 | no data | no data |
| Delhi | 20.0 | 41.2 | 25.4 | no data | no data |
Sources (1991-2020): ERA5-Land model estimates, checked . Each city's page names its grid cell. All sources in full on Methodology.
Sources
- Attribution: Copernicus Climate Change Service (2025): ERA5 Land hourly time-series data from 1950 to present. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS). DOI: 10.24381/ee82e357. Accessed on the check date shown. Generated using or contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2025. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Checked .
- NOAA Solar Calculator equations, computed locally, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (method); City by Month (computation). Attribution: Computed with the NOAA Solar Calculator method (no NOAA endorsement implied). Licence: Method, not data. Checked .
- holidays Python library, run locally. Attribution: holidays library, Vacanza team. Licence: MIT. Checked .
Cite this page: City by Month. "Melbourne in May: weather, daylight, holidays". https://citybymonth.com/cities/australia/melbourne/may/. Last updated 8 November 2026.