May in San Francisco sits in a sweet spot between the rainy winter and the fog-heavy summer. The rain has largely stopped, with only about 12mm falling across the whole month, but the famous marine layer that blankets the western neighborhoods from June through August has not yet settled in full force. Daytime highs reach around 17°C (63°F) and lows hover near 11°C (52°F), which tends to surprise first-time visitors who expect California warmth. Pack layers. You'll need them.
The city feels like it's waking up after months of grey drizzle. Dolores Park fills with locals on sunny afternoons, the farmers' market at the Ferry Building shifts into spring produce, and Bay to Breakers, the 12K costumed footrace that has wound from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach since 1912, takes over the city on the third Sunday of the month. Carnaval San Francisco closes out the month in the Mission District over Memorial Day weekend, with a parade down 24th Street and Harrison Street that draws somewhere around 400,000 spectators.
To be fair, May is not the single best month for warm weather. That title goes to September and October, when the city's odd microclimate delivers its warmest days, often reaching 21-24°C (70-75°F). But May avoids the thick summer fog that can make July feel like winter in the Outer Sunset, and hotel rates have not yet reached full summer pricing. It's a genuinely good window.
Why visit in May
- Rainfall drops to about 12mm for the month, down from 104mm in March. You'll likely get unbroken dry stretches of 10-14 days at a time.
- Bay to Breakers (third Sunday) and Carnaval San Francisco (Memorial Day weekend) give the city two major events within 7 days of each other.
- The summer fog has not fully arrived. Western neighborhoods like the Sunset and the Richmond still see regular afternoon sun, unlike June and July when Karl the Fog parks over Ocean Beach for weeks.
- Hotel rates sit noticeably below the July-September peak. Shoulder season pricing applies across most neighborhoods, though Memorial Day weekend is the exception.
- California strawberry season peaks in May. The Ferry Building Farmers Market on Saturday mornings has bins of Watsonville berries, and they tend to be smaller and sweeter than the supermarket varieties shipped cross-country.
Worth knowing
- Temperatures rarely top 18°C (64°F). If you're coming from a warm climate, San Francisco in May will feel cool, and the wind off the Pacific can make 15°C feel closer to 10°C at exposed spots like Lands End or Baker Beach.
- Microclimates remain extreme. The Mission District might be 19°C and sunny while the Outer Sunset sits at 13°C under a fog bank. A 20-minute bus ride can change your weather entirely.
- Memorial Day weekend (late May) brings a noticeable price spike and crowds at popular spots. Alcatraz tickets for that weekend often sell out 3-4 weeks ahead.
Best for
Think twice if
May marks the transition into San Francisco's dry season. The Pacific High pressure system strengthens through the month, cutting rainfall to about 12mm across roughly 2 rainy days, a steep drop from the 104mm that fell in March. Mornings often start with a thin fog or marine layer that burns off by 11am in eastern neighborhoods like the Mission and North Beach, though it may linger all day in the Outer Sunset. Humidity sits around 75%, which sounds high but rarely feels sticky because temperatures stay cool. Wind is the underrated factor. Afternoon gusts of 15-25 km/h (10-15 mph) are common near the waterfront, at Crissy Field, and along the Golden Gate Bridge walkway. That wind combined with 15°C air can feel genuinely cold if you're in a t-shirt.
Year-round climate
Averages from the last 5 years.
| Month | Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 8 | 104 |
| Feb | 14 | 8 | 89 |
| Mar | 14 | 9 | 104 |
| Apr | 16 | 10 | 22 |
| May | 17 | 11 | 12 |
| Jun | 18 | 12 | 2 |
| Jul | 18 | 13 | 0 |
| Aug | 20 | 14 | 1 |
| Sep | 20 | 14 | 5 |
| Oct | 20 | 13 | 43 |
| Nov | 16 | 10 | 78 |
| Dec | 13 | 8 | 191 |
Headline events
Bay to Breakers
Third Sunday of May
A 12K footrace and costumed street party that has run annually since 1912, winding from the Embarcadero near the bay through the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach. Roughly 50,000 runners and spectators fill the route. Serious competitive runners start at the front, but the back half of the pack is costumes, group themes, and floats. The race typically sells out 2-3 weeks before the event.
Carnaval San Francisco
Memorial Day weekend (last weekend of May)
The largest multicultural celebration in California, centered on the Mission District. The Grand Parade runs along 24th Street and Harrison Street on Sunday, with samba dancers, Aztec performers, and floats from more than 60 community groups. The festival itself spans Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, with food stalls, live music stages on Harrison Street, and a crowd that regularly reaches 400,000 over the two days.
Best things to do in May
Run or spectate Bay to Breakers
eventsThe 12K race from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach is as much a citywide costume party as it is a footrace. Spectators line Hayes Street hill (the route's steepest climb near Alamo Square) and the Panhandle stretch through Golden Gate Park. The event has run every year since 1912, making it one of the oldest continuously held footraces in the world.
Bay to Breakers falls on the third Sunday of May every year.Booking tipRegistration typically sells out 2-3 weeks before race day. Spectating is free from any point along the route.
Explore the Presidio trails
outdoorsThe Presidio's 24 miles of hiking trails wind through eucalyptus groves and coastal bluffs overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. The Batteries to Bluffs trail drops from the old gun emplacements to Marshall's Beach, where you can smell salt spray and hear harbor seals barking on the rocks below. The 15-17°C temperatures in May keep the trails comfortable without the summer fog that obscures views later in the year.
Pre-fog clarity means unobstructed views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands from the coastal trails.Walk Lands End Trail to the Sutro Baths ruins
outdoorsThe 1.5-mile Lands End Trail runs along the cliffs above the Pacific, starting near the Legion of Honor museum and ending at the ruins of the Sutro Baths, a massive Victorian-era public bathhouse that burned in 1966. On clear May mornings you can see all the way to the Farallon Islands, about 43 km offshore. The trail is rocky in places and the wind picks up in the afternoon.
May's pre-fog window offers clearer sightlines than the summer months when the marine layer often sits on this stretch of coastline all day.Visit Alcatraz Island
sightseeingThe ferry from Pier 33 takes about 15 minutes to reach the island. The audio tour of the cellhouse, narrated by former inmates and guards, runs about 45 minutes. May's moderate weather makes the exposed island more comfortable than a winter visit, and the gardens planted by inmates and military families bloom in spring, with beds of roses and agapanthus around the parade ground.
Spring wildflowers bloom across the island in May, and the moderate temperatures make the exposed outdoor sections comfortable. Summer months sell out further in advance.Booking tipBook at least 2 weeks ahead for weekday visits, 3-4 weeks for weekends. Night tours sell out even faster.
Browse the Ferry Building Farmers Market
foodThe Saturday morning market outside the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero runs from 8am to 2pm and features over 100 vendors. May brings peak strawberry season alongside spring onions, snap peas, artichokes, and the first stone fruits. The smell of fresh bread from Acme and roasting coffee from Blue Bottle drifts through the hall. Inside, permanent vendors sell oysters, cheese, and charcuterie year-round.
May is the crossover point between spring and summer produce. Strawberries peak while early-season stone fruits begin to appear.Carnaval San Francisco in the Mission
eventsMemorial Day weekend transforms the Mission District into a two-day festival. The Grand Parade on Sunday runs along 24th Street and Harrison Street, with samba schools, Aztec dance troupes, and lowrider cars. Live music stages line Harrison Street, and food vendors sell pupusas, tamales, and Brazilian acarajé. The parade route fills with the sound of drums and brass starting around 9:30am.
Carnaval San Francisco is held annually on Memorial Day weekend, the last weekend of May.Cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito
outdoorsThe ride from the city side starts at Crissy Field or the toll plaza and crosses the 2.7 km span to the Marin Headlands. From there, a downhill coast leads to Sausalito, a waterfront town about 3 km past the bridge's north end. The return trip by ferry from Sausalito to the Ferry Building takes about 30 minutes. May's pre-fog conditions typically mean clear views from the bridge deck, though afternoon wind can be strong.
Clearer skies than summer months mean you'll likely see the city skyline, Alcatraz, and Angel Island from the bridge rather than a wall of grey fog.Explore Chinatown's back alleys
cultureSan Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest in North America, established in the 1840s. The main tourist corridor runs along Grant Avenue, but the smaller alleys, like Waverly Place and Ross Alley, hold the temples, family association buildings, and the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, where you can watch fortune cookies being folded by hand on old iron griddles. The smell of roast duck and char siu drifts from the BBQ shops on Stockton Street.
The dry, mild weather in May makes walking the hilly, narrow streets comfortable. Summer fog rarely reaches this far east into the city.What to eat in May
In season: fruit
Watsonville strawberries
California's strawberry harvest peaks in May, and the Watsonville-Salinas growing region about 100 miles south of San Francisco supplies a large share of the nation's crop. You'll find them at the Ferry Building Farmers Market on Saturdays and at the Heart of the City Farmers' Market at UN Plaza on Wednesdays and Sundays. They tend to be smaller and sweeter than the commercial varieties in supermarkets.
California cherries
Brentwood and Lodi cherry harvests start in mid-May, and bins of Bing and Rainier cherries appear at Bay Area farmers' markets by the third week of the month. The season is short, typically lasting through mid-June, so May is the opening window.
On menus now
Dungeness crab
The commercial Dungeness season in the Bay Area typically runs from November through June, and May is often the tail end. Restaurants in Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach still serve whole cracked crab, though prices tend to rise as supply tightens toward the season's close. Worth catching before it disappears from menus in early summer.
In markets
Fava beans
A spring staple at Northern California farmers' markets. You'll see mounds of them at the Ferry Building and Alemany Farmers' Market through May. Local Italian restaurants in North Beach often feature them shaved raw with pecorino or braised with olive oil and mint.
Regular events in May
SF International Arts Festival
A multi-week performing arts festival featuring local and international artists at Fort Mason Center. Performances span dance, theater, music, and multimedia installations across several venues in the converted military warehouses.
Throughout MayCinco de Mayo FestivalFree
The annual celebration on or near May 5th centers on the Mission District and Dolores Park, with live mariachi, folklorico dancing, and food vendors along Valencia Street.
First weekend of MaySunday StreetsFree
San Francisco's open-streets program closes several blocks to car traffic on select Sundays, opening them to cyclists, pedestrians, and street performers. The May edition typically runs through a different neighborhood each time, with past routes covering the Tenderloin, Bayview, and Excelsior.
Select Sundays in MayBike to Work DayFree
Part of National Bike Month, San Francisco's annual Bike to Work Day sets up energizer stations across the city offering free coffee, snacks, and tune-ups. The event typically draws over 15,000 cyclists to the city's bike lanes.
Third Thursday of MayBest places this May
Dolores Park
parkThe 6-hectare park in the Mission District faces east and catches afternoon sun even when the western half of the city is fogged in. On warm May weekends, hundreds of locals spread across the hillside. The views of downtown and the Bay Bridge from the park's southwest corner are some of the best in the city.
Mission DistrictGolden Gate Park
parkThe 412-hectare park stretches from the Haight-Ashbury to the Pacific Ocean. May brings blooming rhododendrons in the Rhododendron Dell and the rose garden near the Conservatory of Flowers starts its annual peak. The park contains the de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden, which was built for the 1894 Midwinter Exposition.
Inner Sunset / RichmondThe Castro
neighborhoodSan Francisco's historically LGBTQ+ neighborhood centers on Castro Street between Market Street and 19th Street. The Castro Theatre, a 1922 Spanish Colonial Revival movie palace, anchors the block. The neighborhood's rainbow crosswalks, vintage shops, and cafe culture make it a walkable afternoon. May's mild temperatures keep the street terraces busy.
The CastroNorth Beach
neighborhoodThe city's Italian-American quarter sits between Chinatown and the Embarcadero waterfront. Washington Square Park at its center faces Saints Peter and Paul Church, where Joe DiMaggio had his wedding photos taken in 1957. The neighborhood's cafes, including Caffe Trieste (opened 1956), still serve as gathering spots. Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill, a 10-minute walk uphill, offers 360-degree views of the bay.
North BeachSutro Baths ruins
landmarkThe concrete remains of Adolph Sutro's 1896 public bathhouse sit in a cove below the Cliff House site at the western edge of the city. At low tide, you can walk down into the foundations and see where the pools once held up to 10,000 swimmers. The kelp-covered rocks and crashing waves make it one of the more dramatic spots on the San Francisco coastline.
Outer RichmondFerry Building
marketThe 1898 Beaux-Arts terminal on the Embarcadero houses permanent food vendors including Cowgirl Creamery, Hog Island Oysters, and Acme Bread. The Saturday farmers' market outside draws thousands. The building's 74-meter clock tower was modeled after the Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain.
EmbarcaderoMuir Woods National Monument
natureA 30-minute drive north across the Golden Gate Bridge leads to this grove of old-growth coast redwoods in Marin County. Some of the trees are over 1,000 years old and reach 75 meters tall. The main loop trail is flat and paved, about 1.6 km. May visits avoid the heaviest summer crowds, though weekend mornings still fill up.
Marin County
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Insider tips
The Mission District has its own microclimate. When the rest of the city is grey and 13°C, the Mission is often sunny and 18-19°C thanks to the hills that block incoming fog from the west. If you want sun, head to Valencia Street or Dolores Park.
For Bay to Breakers, the best spectating spots are along Hayes Street hill (near Alamo Square) and the Panhandle entrance to Golden Gate Park. The costumes are better in the back half of the pack, so arriving 30-40 minutes after the start gun gives you the spectacle without the early-morning wait.
The 49-Mile Scenic Drive, marked by seagull-shaped signs posted in 1938, traces a loop through the city's highlights. Most of the signs are still up, though a few have gone missing over the decades. It's a good framework for a self-guided driving or cycling tour.
Fog patterns in May are readable once you know the trick. If the marine layer is sitting low over the ocean at 9am, it will likely burn off in the east by 11am but may linger at Ocean Beach all day. Check the view from Twin Peaks or Corona Heights for a real-time read on where the sun is.
Alcatraz night tours run on select evenings and include sections of the island not open during the day. They sell out weeks in advance, but the atmosphere after dark, with the city lights across the water, is noticeably different from a daytime visit.
Avoid these mistakes
- Packing for California beach weather. San Francisco in May averages 17°C, not the 25-30°C that visitors from Los Angeles or San Diego expect. T-shirts and shorts alone will leave you cold by 4pm.
- Assuming all neighborhoods have the same weather. The Sunset District can be under a fog bank while the Mission is clear and warm, less than 5 km away. Check conditions by neighborhood, not by city.
- Waiting too long to book Alcatraz. Tickets for May weekends often sell out 3-4 weeks ahead, and Memorial Day weekend availability disappears even earlier.
- Trying to walk from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge along the waterfront without checking the distance. It's about 5 km one way from Pier 39 to the bridge toll plaza, and the last stretch from Crissy Field is exposed to wind. Budget 90 minutes each way on foot.
- Skipping the ferry from Sausalito. Many visitors cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge and then cycle back the same way. The return ferry to the Ferry Building cuts the trip in half, offers different views of the skyline, and saves your legs for the rest of the day.
Practical tips for May
Book Alcatraz tickets and Bay to Breakers registration at least 2-3 weeks before your trip, as both tend to sell out in May. MUNI and BART cover most of the city, but the F-line historic streetcars along the Embarcadero and the cable cars on Powell Street fill up by midday. For Memorial Day weekend, hotel availability tightens across the city, so booking early gives you more neighborhood options. Layers are the single most practical thing you can pack. Mornings at the ferry terminal might be 12°C with a breeze, and by afternoon in the Mission it could be 19°C and sunny. A daypack that holds a jacket and windbreaker will serve you better than any single piece of clothing.
FAQ
Is May a good time to visit San Francisco?
May is one of the better months. It ranks roughly third after September and October for overall conditions. The rain has stopped, the summer fog has not fully moved in, and the city's event calendar picks up with Bay to Breakers and Carnaval. Temperatures hover around 15-17°C, which is cool but comfortable for walking and outdoor activities. The main trade-off is that you won't get warm beach weather.
How cold does San Francisco get in May?
Daytime highs reach about 17°C (63°F) and overnight lows drop to around 11°C (52°F). The wind chill near the waterfront, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Ocean Beach can make it feel several degrees cooler in the afternoon. It rarely drops below 8°C at night, but the cool Pacific air is a genuine surprise for visitors arriving from warmer parts of California.
Does it rain in San Francisco in May?
Very little. May averages about 12mm of rain across roughly 2 rainy days, making it one of the driest months. The wet season effectively ends in April, and May through September are reliably dry. You might get a light drizzle on one or two days, but extended rain is uncommon.
What should I wear in San Francisco in May?
Layers. A medium-weight jacket or fleece for mornings and evenings, a windbreaker for the waterfront, and a lighter long-sleeve shirt for midday. The temperature difference between foggy Ocean Beach and sunny Mission District can be 6-8°C on the same afternoon, so the ability to add or remove a layer matters more than any single garment. Closed-toe shoes are practical for the hills.
Is the fog bad in San Francisco in May?
May is generally before the heaviest fog season, which runs from June through August. You'll still see marine layer in the mornings, especially in western neighborhoods like the Sunset and the Richmond, but it tends to burn off by late morning in the eastern half of the city. The thick, all-day fog that characterizes a San Francisco summer has not typically established itself by May.
Things to Do in San Francisco in May
Free cancellation Muir Woods and Sausalito Tour (Return by Bus or Ferry)
Day trip — free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Full-Day Tour from San Francisco
Day trip — free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco
Day trip — 14 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Tour from San Francisco w Pickup
Outdoor experience — 15 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation San Francisco Super Saver: Muir Woods & Wine Country w/ optional Gourmet Lunch
Day trip — 11 hours, free cancellation.
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Free cancellation San Francisco Love Tour
City tour — 2 hours, free cancellation.
via ViatorLast verified by automated review (v1.7.2) on June 23, 2026. What is automated review?