Appleton weather in May

In May, Appleton sees average daytime highs of 66°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 71°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 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Appleton's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Appleton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
66°
5th warmest
Overnight low
48°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:33 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Appleton is city in and county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
1,146/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

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 61°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical May day in Appleton reaches about 66°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 12°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16042
26043
36143
46144
56244
66244
76245
86345
96346
106446
116446
126447
136547
146547
156547
166648
176648
186749
196749
206749
216850
226850
236951
246951
256951
267052
277052
287153
297153
307153
317254

How May really feels in Appleton

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.

Appleton weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 12°1.57.86.89.10.0
Feb28° / 14°1.36.25.410.20.0
Mar40° / 24°2.38.44.511.60.4
Apr54° / 36°3.211.12.713.23.0
May66° / 48°3.310.8014.55.8
Jun76° / 59°3.510.4015.36.7
Jul80° / 63°3.410.10156.6
Aug78° / 61°3.39.9013.86.9
Sep70° / 53°2.89012.36.7
Oct57° / 42°2.89.50.210.84.1
Nov43° / 30°2.28.22.29.40.7
Dec31° / 19°1.87.25.38.70.0

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23862
33862
43862
53862
63862
73862
83862
93862
103961
113961
123862
133961
143961
154060
164060
174060
184159
194159
204258
214357
224357
234357
244456
254456
264456
274555
284555
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Appleton gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 10.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1352
2352
3361
4361
5361
6361
7361
8361
9350
10350
11350
12350
13350
14350
15350
16340
17340
18340
19340
20340
21340
22340
23340
24340
25350
26350
27350
28350
29350
30350
31350

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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
195410
295410
394510
494510
593520
693520
792620
891630
991630
1091630
1189740
1289740
1388741
1486851
1586851
1686851
1784862
1884862
1982972
2081973
2181973
22781084
23781084
24761194
25751195
26741295
27741295
287213105
297213105
307014106
316914116

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light 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
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:52 AM to 4:20 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:526:49
214.04:516:50
314.04:506:52
414.14:486:53
514.14:476:54
614.24:456:55
714.24:446:57
814.34:436:58
914.34:416:59
1014.34:407:00
1114.44:397:01
1214.44:377:02
1314.54:367:04
1414.54:357:05
1514.54:347:06
1614.64:337:07
1714.64:327:08
1814.64:317:09
1914.74:307:10
2014.74:297:11
2114.74:287:13
2214.84:277:14
2314.84:267:15
2414.84:257:16
2514.94:247:17
2614.94:237:18
2714.94:227:19
2815.04:227:20
2915.04:217:21
3015.04:207:21
3115.04:207:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Appleton?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Appleton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Appleton in May

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

In May, Appleton sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Appleton in May

The nearest coast averages about 43°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 37 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in March near 34°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Aug 23 — about 0.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan37Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr37Bracing
May43Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul65Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep64Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov46Bracing
Dec39Bracing

UV index in Appleton in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Appleton peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Appleton?

Appleton sits at 44.3°N, 88.4°W, 794 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Menasha, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Appleton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Appleton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 ft around an average of 794 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 ft.

The land around Appleton is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (36%) within 2 miles, cropland (30%), trees (21%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (40%) and trees (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
174 ft
10 miles
492 ft
50 miles
778 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Menasha 4.3 mi · Neenah 5.6 mi · Kaukauna 7.5 mi · Oshkosh 17 mi · De Pere 22 mi · Ashwaubenon 23 mi · Howard 25 mi · Green Bay 27 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 Appleton (44.2619°, -88.4154°, elevation 794 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).