Amesbury weather in May

In May, Amesbury sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Amesbury's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Amesbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
50°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
10.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:27 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
65%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Amesbury is city in Massachusetts.

Density
516/km²
people per km²
Founded
1642

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 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Amesbury reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15945
25946
36046
46046
56047
66147
76147
86147
96247
106248
116248
126248
136349
146349
156349
166449
176450
186450
196550
206551
216551
226651
236652
246652
256752
266753
276753
286853
296854
306854
316955

How May really feels in Amesbury

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.

Amesbury weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°3.39.66.29.20.0
Feb36° / 22°3.195.810.20.0
Mar43° / 29°4.211.1511.60.5
Apr54° / 40°3.810.71.213.13.2
May64° / 50°3.110.6014.45.5
Jun73° / 59°3.410.8015.16.5
Jul79° / 65°3.210.1014.86.6
Aug78° / 64°3.38.7013.77.0
Sep71° / 57°3.48.4012.36.9
Oct60° / 46°3.99.70.310.84.9
Nov49° / 37°3.59.419.52.1
Dec39° / 27°4.210.34.78.90.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
93862
103862
113862
123862
133862
143862
153862
163862
173862
183862
193961
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
254060
264159
274159
284159
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Amesbury gets around 3.1 in of rain over 10.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
434
534
634
734
834
934
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196310
295410
395410
494510
594510
694510
793610
893610
992710
1092710
1192710
1292710
1391810
1490820
1590820
1690820
1788930
1888930
19861040
20851140
21831151
22811261
23801361
24781471
25761581
26731692
27731692
287117102
296918112
306918112
316619123

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
67light breeze
77light breeze
87light breeze
97light breeze
107light breeze
117light breeze
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 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 4:45 AM to 4:14 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 7:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:456:36
213.94:446:38
313.94:436:39
414.04:416:40
514.04:406:41
614.14:396:42
714.14:376:43
814.14:366:44
914.24:356:46
1014.24:336:47
1114.34:326:48
1214.34:316:49
1314.34:306:50
1414.44:296:51
1514.44:286:52
1614.44:276:53
1714.54:266:54
1814.54:256:55
1914.54:246:56
2014.64:236:57
2114.64:226:58
2214.64:216:59
2314.74:207:00
2414.74:197:01
2514.74:187:02
2614.84:187:03
2714.84:177:04
2814.84:167:05
2914.84:167:06
3014.94:157:07
3114.94:147:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.97 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.54 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Amesbury

In seasonPeak

None of Amesbury's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Amesbury sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Amesbury?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Amesbury for sightseeing.

What to pack for Amesbury in May

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

In May, Amesbury sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Amesbury in May

The nearest coast averages about 49°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 39°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Amesbury 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 Amesbury peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Amesbury 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 Amesbury is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Amesbury?

Amesbury sits at 42.9°N, 70.9°W, 56 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newburyport, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Amesbury

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Amesbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 108 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 413 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,329 ft.

The land around Amesbury is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (61%) within 10 miles, and trees (62%) and water (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
413 ft
50 miles
2,329 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Newburyport 4.3 mi · Haverhill 9.3 mi · Salem 14 mi · North Andover 15 mi · Lawrence 16 mi · Methuen 16 mi · Portsmouth 17 mi · Derry Village 19 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 Amesbury (42.8584°, -70.93°, elevation 56 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).