Altoona weather in May

In May, Altoona sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 5.5 in of precipitation across 13.7 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Altoona's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Altoona's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.5 in
13.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:00 AM – 7:20 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Altoona is city in Polk County, Iowa, United States.

Density
699/km²
people per km²
Founded
1876

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Altoona reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16646
26647
36747
46748
56748
66849
76849
86849
96950
106950
116950
127051
137051
147151
157152
167152
177153
187253
197253
207254
217354
227354
237355
247455
257455
267456
277556
287556
297557
307657
317658

How May really feels in Altoona

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Altoona weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 13°1.26.34.99.30.0
Feb34° / 17°1.56.54.710.30.0
Mar47° / 29°2.68.82.811.71.7
Apr61° / 40°4.411.20.913.14.7
May71° / 52°5.513.70.114.36.0
Jun80° / 62°5.011.90156.2
Jul84° / 66°3.89.5014.75.8
Aug82° / 63°4.09.5013.76.6
Sep75° / 55°3.68.3012.37.2
Oct62° / 42°2.98.10.410.95.6
Nov47° / 30°2.16.71.39.71.8
Dec34° / 19°1.65.94.190.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
33961
43961
54060
64060
74060
84159
94258
104258
114357
124357
134357
144357
154456
164456
174357
184357
194456
204555
214456
224456
234654
244654
254654
264654
274654
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Altoona gets around 5.5 in of rain and snow over 13.7 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 44% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
342
442
543
643
744
844
944
1044
1144
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1944
2044
2145
2245
2345
2446
2546
2646
2747
2847
2947
3047
3147

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1898300
2869410
38410510
48311510
58211610
68012710
78012710
87813810
97614910
107514920
1173151020
1273151020
1373151020
1472151120
1570161130
1670161130
1768161240
1868161240
1967161340
2065161450
2163171460
2262171560
2361171570
2459171680
2557181780
2656181790
27541818100
28521918110
29511919110
30492019120
31472019131

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:18 AM to 4:48 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:187:04
213.85:177:05
313.95:157:06
413.95:147:08
513.95:137:09
614.05:117:10
714.05:107:11
814.15:097:12
914.15:087:13
1014.15:067:14
1114.25:057:15
1214.25:047:16
1314.25:037:17
1414.35:027:18
1514.35:017:19
1614.35:007:20
1714.44:597:21
1814.44:587:22
1914.44:577:23
2014.54:567:24
2114.54:557:25
2214.54:547:26
2314.64:547:27
2414.64:537:28
2514.64:527:29
2614.64:517:30
2714.74:517:31
2814.74:507:32
2914.74:497:33
3014.74:497:33
3114.84:487:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Altoona?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Altoona for sightseeing.

What to pack for Altoona in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Altoona sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Altoona in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Altoona peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Altoona in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Altoona is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 2016 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Altoona?

Altoona sits at 41.6°N, 93.5°W, 955 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Des Moines, 8.1 mi away.

Topography around Altoona

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Altoona.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Altoona has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 144 ft around an average of 938 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 653 ft.

The land around Altoona is covered by grassland (32%), cropland (28%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%), grassland (22%) and trees (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
144 ft
10 miles
266 ft
50 miles
653 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Des Moines 8.1 mi · Ankeny 9.3 mi · Johnston 12 mi · Urbandale 13 mi · West Des Moines 14 mi · Clive 14 mi · Indianola 21 mi · Waukee 22 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Altoona (41.6442°, -93.4647°, elevation 955 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).