We are thinking of planning a trip to Washington DC in the first week of May. How would it be at that time in terms of weather and crowds?
Thanks.

It's a good time, between spring break and summer vacation, and the heat hasn't arrived yet.

You'll still see swarms of school trippers in early May (they decline as term-end activities take precedence later in the month), but otherwise I agree with EricH. Also, college graduation families descend in mid-May.

www.weather.com and www.wunderground.com are good resources for historical average

During the second half of April, I check occassionally to see if this turning out to be a warmer or cooler than average spring.

We go every year the second week of May to attend a conference; we've had hot & humid; cloudy/windy/rainy, and perfect. Just check the weather forecast right before you leave so you have an idea what to expect. There will be lots of school kids as kayd said, but I think they're ubiquitous.......

May is a great time to go, it won't be hot and DC can get VERY hot. Sure, school trips will be around..but kids are in DC all the time, so not a big deal. I'm sure the crowds will be much thinner than in the summer months. I would definitely go to DC in May

DC in May is great! May can be hot, cool, sunny or rainy, but in general it's one of the nicest months in DC.