‹ Santa Barbara weather by month
Typical May weather
Santa Barbara
California · May
69° days
51° nights
maybe one rainy day · 14 hours of daylight · ocean 57°
What to pack
- Light jacket
What May feels like
The marine layer settles in for the season — locals call it May Gray, without much affection. It usually clears by early afternoon, and the wine country over San Marcos Pass is sunny the whole time.
Real rain shows up maybe one day all month; the rest stay dry. Humidity stays comfortable; the air never feels heavy.
Can you swim?
The ocean runs about 57° — frigid — locals in wetsuits only.
The numbers
| Typical high | 69° |
|---|---|
| Typical low | 51° |
| Days with real rain | 1 |
| Total rain | 0.4 in |
| Humidity | comfortable |
| Water temperature | 57° |
| Sunrise / sunset (mid-month) | 5:56 am / 7:54 pm |