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Ottawa Weather in May

In May, Ottawa averages a high of 19°C (67°F) and a low of 8°C (46°F), from 55 years of daily records (1971–2026).

19°C
Average high
67°F
8°C
Average low
46°F
35°C
Record high
95°F · May 26, 2010
-3°C
Record low
27°F · May 1, 1978

What May Is Like in Ottawa

  • The coldest May reading, -3°C (27°F) on May 1, 1978, has not been matched in 48 years.
  • On average, 0.6 nights in May drop below freezing.
  • May in Ottawa has become 0.6°C (1.0°F) warmer on average: the 2012–2026 average against 1970–1989.
  • The warmest May in the record was 1998; the coldest was 1974.

At least 1 mm of rain falls on 32% of May days, and the month averages 77 mm in total.

Average daytime high in Ottawa, every May since 1971
14°C20°C25°C19801990200020102020May 1971: 18.7°CMay 1972: 20.1°CMay 1973: 16.4°CMay 1974: 14.6°CMay 1975: 23.7°CMay 1976: 16.9°CMay 1977: 21.8°CMay 1978: 21.4°CMay 1979: 18.2°CMay 1980: 19.2°CMay 1981: 18.2°CMay 1982: 20.8°CMay 1983: 15.5°CMay 1984: 15.7°CMay 1985: 19.3°CMay 1986: 19.3°CMay 1987: 18.5°CMay 1988: 20.3°CMay 1989: 19.4°CMay 1990: 17.9°CMay 1991: 21.2°CMay 1992: 19.4°CMay 1993: 18.7°CMay 1994: 18.2°CMay 1995: 19.0°CMay 1996: 18.1°CMay 1997: 15.3°CMay 1998: 23.4°CMay 1999: 22.9°CMay 2000: 18.6°CMay 2001: 20.4°CMay 2002: 16.2°CMay 2003: 18.0°CMay 2004: 18.3°CMay 2005: 16.9°CMay 2006: 19.4°CMay 2007: 19.6°CMay 2008: 18.0°CMay 2009: 17.8°CMay 2010: 21.5°CMay 2011: 18.8°CMay 2012: 21.3°CMay 2013: 20.8°CMay 2014: 19.7°CMay 2015: 22.3°CMay 2016: 20.8°CMay 2017: 17.2°CMay 2018: 21.6°CMay 2019: 16.2°CMay 2020: 18.7°CMay 2021: 19.4°CMay 2022: 21.8°CMay 2023: 19.7°CMay 2025: 20.4°CMay 2026: 18.3°C
Warmest: 1975 (23.7°C)Latest: 2026 (18.3°C)10-year averageLong-run average (19.2°C)

Look Up a Day in May

See the weather in Ottawa on any May date, year by year.

Source: NOAA GHCN-Daily, Ottawa Cda (1971–2023); Ottawa Cda Rcs (2000–2026). Averages cover 1971–2026. How we compute this

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