Shanghai weather in May
In May, Shanghai has an average high of 25 °C77 °F and an average low of 16 °C61 °F, with about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation. It is the 5th warmest month of the year and ranks 5th for precipitation.
How May compares with other months
Compared with April, May is 5.3 °C9.6 °F warmer on average and wetter by 10 mm0.4 in. Compared with June, May is 3.8 °C6.9 °F cooler on average and drier by 91 mm3.6 in. Daylight lasts about 13.7 hours around the middle of the month. Average relative humidity is 77% and the average cloud amount 70%.
Is May a good time to visit Shanghai?
May is not among the most comfortable months by our comfort score: it is fairly wet (105 mm4.1 in) and it is humid (77%). The most comfortable months in Shanghai are October.
What to wear in May
For Shanghai in May, pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
May in nearby places
| Place | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | 2577 | 1661 | 1054.1 |
| Baoshan | 2576 | 1661 | 963.8 |
| Fengxiang | 2577 | 1661 | 1054.1 |
| Chongming | 2170 | 1763 | 983.8 |
| Kunshan | 2576 | 1661 | 963.8 |
| Suzhou | 2680 | 1660 | 923.6 |
| Jiaxing | 2679 | 1662 | 1074.2 |
| Nantong | 2680 | 1559 | 833.3 |
| Zhangjiagang | 2679 | 1559 | 833.3 |
Nearby places that are more than 1 °C1.8 °F cooler: Chongming.
Other months in Shanghai
- January8 °C46 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- February10 °C50 °F / 2 °C36 °F
- March14 °C58 °F / 5 °C42 °F
- April20 °C68 °F / 11 °C51 °F
- May25 °C77 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- June28 °C83 °F / 21 °C69 °F
- July32 °C89 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- August31 °C89 °F / 25 °C78 °F
- September28 °C82 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- October23 °C73 °F / 15 °C60 °F
- November17 °C63 °F / 10 °C49 °F
- December11 °C51 °F / 3 °C37 °F
Frequently asked questions
How warm is Shanghai in May?
In May the average high in Shanghai is 25 °C (77 °F) and the average low is 16 °C (61 °F).
Does it rain a lot in Shanghai in May?
On average about 105 mm (4.1 in) of precipitation falls in May; it ranks 5th of the 12 months.
Is May the warmest month in Shanghai?
No. The warmest month in Shanghai is July, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F). The coldest month is January, with an average low of 1 °C (33 °F).
How long is the day in Shanghai in May?
In the middle of May the day in Shanghai lasts about 13.7 hours from sunrise to sunset. The value is calculated from the position of the city and the sun.
How humid is Shanghai in May?
The average relative humidity in May is about 77%. Combined with warm days, it can feel muggy.
How cloudy is Shanghai in May?
On average about 70% of the sky is covered by cloud in May. This is the mean cloud amount from satellite data, not the number of sunny days.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.