Skip to main content
SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Big Sur in May

Big Sur in May is historically a poor month for sun: only 5% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 63°F). August is the clearest month for Big Sur historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Big Sur page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late May

Clear-sky percentage for Big Sur in May, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early May
1st–15th		 3% n=120 63°F
Late May
16th–end		 6% n=128 63°F
Full month average 5% n=248 63°F

Sunshine & warmth in May

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Big Sur in May. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early May
1st–15th		 3% n=120
Late May
16th–end		 6% n=128
Full month average 5% n=248
13.6 h median sunshine per day 93% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 10% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 5%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 5%. The two measures are nearly identical here — no convective-storm bias for this climate and month.

Bottom line

Big Sur is a poor choice for sun in May: just 5% of days clear historically (n=248). August is the historically strongest month for sun here. The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

→ See all destinations in August — historically the best month for sun in Big Sur.

Every month in Big Sur

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Big Sur, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 3% n=248 All destinations →
February 5% n=226 All destinations →
March 1% n=248 All destinations →
April 2% n=240 All destinations →
May ← this page 5% n=248 All destinations →
June 16% n=240 All destinations →
July 25% n=248 All destinations →
August 38% n=248 All destinations →
September 35% n=240 All destinations →
October 30% n=248 All destinations →
November 14% n=240 All destinations →
December 4% n=248 All destinations →

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.