Typical May weather
Cape Cod
Massachusetts · May
65° days
48° nights
about 7 rainy days · 14½ hours of daylight · ocean 56°
What to pack
- Light jacket
What May feels like
Memorial Day is the switch: before it the Cape is quiet and cheap, after it the bridges start backing up on Friday afternoons. The ocean stays bracing well past the point the air turns pleasant, which catches first-timers out every single year.
Expect about 7 days with real rain — enough to notice, not enough to plan around.
Can you swim?
The ocean runs about 56° — frigid — locals in wetsuits only.
The numbers
| Typical high | 65° |
|---|---|
| Typical low | 48° |
| Days with real rain | 7 |
| Total rain | 3.4 in |
| Water temperature | 56° |
| Sunrise / sunset (mid-month) | 5:21 am / 7:53 pm |