Weather in Ottawa in May 2025
Average weather
Average temperature in Ottawa in May
Going from a maximum of +32°C during the day to a minimum of +1°C during the night, the temperature in May averages around +20°C.
The average maximum temperature goes up 71% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +10°C to +32°C.
Is Ottawa warm or cold in May?
Ottawa is typically mild in May.
Maximum temperatures go up compared to the previous month from +12°C to +20°C. The minimum temperature also goes up from +2°C to +8°C.
Pack a light jacket as it will be warm in the day and cool in the evenings.
Take a look at how May is compared to other months in Ottawa:
Climate in Ottawa in May
| April | May | June | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +12°C | +20°C | +24°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -18°C | -5°C | 0°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +32°C | +35°C | +36°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 71 mm | 86 mm | 91 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 62% | 62% | 68% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1013 HPa | 1013 HPa | 1012 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 4 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 10 | 12 | 11 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 11 | 14 | 13 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | ||||
May often has better weather than April. It’s getting warmer as May arrives. The average maximum temperature goes up from +12°C to +20°C during the day. Prepare for more rain. Average rainfall goes from 71 mm to 86 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 62%. Winds are calmer in comparison to April, going down from 4 m/s to 3 m/s on average. The days becoming less sunny, going from 4 sunny days in April to 3 in May.
June brings much the same weather, it remains good.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 6 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Ottawa is gradually decreasing during May, going from 6 m/s to 2 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
How was the weather last May in Ottawa?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Ottawa in May has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1992 (+10°C) and the highest in 2012 (+13°C). The driest year was 1985 with only 469 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2017 with 1378 mm.
FAQ
Is May a good time to visit Ottawa?
Can you sunbathe in Ottawa in May?
Is Ottawa rainy in May?
Is it sunny in Ottawa in May?
Other cities in Canada
Monthly weather in Ottawa
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Ottawa, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.