May in Philadelphia, PA: shoulder season for golf — playable with smart tee time selection. Best tee times: mid-morning through early afternoon.
| Average May Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 73°F |
| Avg daily low | 53°F |
| Rainy days | 13 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 11.9 mph |
May sits in a useful gap between April's chill and June's humidity. The average high reaches 73°F — well inside the 60–80°F comfort zone — while the low of 53°F means early morning rounds call for an extra layer. That 20°F daily swing is the thing most golfers underestimate: a 7 AM tee time can feel like a different season than a 1 PM finish.
At 13 precipitation days, May is tied for the third-wettest month of the year, so rain is a real factor rather than a footnote. Peak winds of 11.9 mph are down from April's 13.5 mph, which makes iron distances a bit more predictable. Overall, golf in Philadelphia in May rewards planning — the conditions are genuinely good, but they shift enough day-to-day that checking the forecast the night before still matters.
With a 20°F daily swing, morning tee times before 8 AM can sit closer to the 53°F low than the 73°F high — book a mid-morning slot (9–11 AM) to catch temperatures closer to the 73°F high while avoiding afternoon storm cells that become more common as May progresses. Philadelphia's dense mix of public and semi-private courses means the most popular layouts get claimed days in advance once a clean forecast appears, so locking in your tee time before the weekly weather picture settles is the safer move. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
Coming out of April, May delivers a 10°F jump in average high and sheds two precipitation days, making it noticeably more playable for full-day outings. Heading into June, the average high climbs another 11°F, but the rain-day count stays the same at 13 and winds drop only 0.4 mph — so the main trade-off is warmth against rising humidity rather than any meaningful improvement in wet-weather odds. In short, May offers the most comfortable temperature window of the three months without surrendering much on the precipitation front.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Philadelphia, PA for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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May is one of Philadelphia's more comfortable months, with an average high of 73°F and winds easing to 11.9 mph from April's 13.5 mph. The catch is 13 precipitation days, tied for third-wettest in the year, so a flexible schedule or a backup date helps. Morning rounds in particular can start cool at 53°F average low, so dress in layers.
May averages 13 precipitation days out of roughly 31, meaning more than two in five days see some measurable rain. That doesn't mean full washouts — many of those days see brief showers rather than all-day rain. Building a tee time around a mid-morning window and watching afternoon radar gives you the best chance of completing 18 holes dry.