Amherst weather in May

In May, Amherst sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.2 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 64°F in the first days to 72°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 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 Amherst's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Amherst's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.2 in
10.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:34 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Amherst is town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States.

Founded
1703

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 64°F in the first days to 72°F by the end.

A typical May day in Amherst reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 80°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)
16345
26345
36445
46446
56446
66446
76546
86547
96547
106647
116647
126648
136748
146748
156749
166749
176849
186849
196950
206950
216951
227051
237051
247052
257152
267152
277153
287253
297253
307254
317354

How May really feels in Amherst

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.

Amherst 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° / 19°3.39.66.39.30.0
Feb37° / 21°3.08.75.810.30.0
Mar45° / 29°4.010.34.811.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.610.71.213.14.0
May68° / 49°3.210.6014.46.1
Jun77° / 58°3.510.80156.6
Jul82° / 64°3.39.9014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°3.38.7013.76.7
Sep73° / 55°3.78.3012.37.0
Oct61° / 44°4.29.10.210.85.1
Nov49° / 34°3.39.11.29.62.1
Dec39° / 26°4.110.1590.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
34060
44060
54060
63961
73961
84060
94060
104060
114060
123961
133961
143961
154060
163961
173961
183961
194060
204060
214060
224060
234060
244060
254060
264060
274159
284159
294258
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Amherst gets around 3.2 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 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
435
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2934
3034
3134

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
194510
294510
393610
492620
591720
691720
791720
890820
990820
1090820
1190820
1289830
1388930
1488930
1588930
1687940
17861040
18851050
19841150
20821161
21801271
22781381
23771481
24741592
25741592
267216102
277017103
286818113
296818113
306619123
316519124

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 4:53 AM to 4:22 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:536:42
213.94:516:43
313.94:506:44
413.94:496:45
514.04:476:46
614.04:466:47
714.14:456:49
814.14:436:50
914.14:426:51
1014.24:416:52
1114.24:406:53
1214.34:396:54
1314.34:386:55
1414.34:366:56
1514.44:356:57
1614.44:346:58
1714.44:336:59
1814.54:327:00
1914.54:317:01
2014.54:307:02
2114.64:307:03
2214.64:297:04
2314.64:287:05
2414.74:277:06
2514.74:267:07
2614.74:267:08
2714.74:257:09
2814.84:247:10
2914.84:237:11
3014.84:237:12
3114.84:227:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.9 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.5 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
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Amherst?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Amherst for sightseeing.

What to pack for Amherst in May

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

In May, Amherst sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Amherst 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 Amherst peaks around July 11 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 highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Amherst 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 Amherst is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1615 µg/m³Nov 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Amherst?

Amherst sits at 42.4°N, 72.5°W, 269 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Amherst Center, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Amherst

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Amherst has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 220 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,583 ft.

The land around Amherst is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
3,583 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Amherst Center 0.6 mi · Northampton 6.8 mi · South Hadley 8.1 mi · Easthampton 11 mi · Holyoke 12 mi · North Chicopee 13 mi · Ludlow 14 mi · Chicopee 16 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 Amherst (42.3672°, -72.5185°, elevation 269 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).