Atwater weather in May

In May, Atwater sees average daytime highs of 83°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 0.7 in of rain across 2.8 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 87°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Atwater's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Atwater's year-round climate.

Daytime high
83°
5th warmest
Overnight low
58°
8th coldest
Rainfall
0.7 in
2.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:59 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
33%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Atwater is city in Merced County, California, United States.

Density
1,852/km²
people per km²
Founded
1922

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 81°F in the first days to 87°F by the end.

A typical May day in Atwater reaches about 83°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 95°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18055
28055
38156
48156
58156
68156
78256
88256
98256
108257
118257
128357
138357
148357
158358
168358
178358
188458
198458
208458
218458
228559
238559
248559
258559
268660
278660
288760
298760
308760
318761

How May really feels in Atwater

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.

Atwater weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 42°3.58.19.74.7
Feb63° / 44°3.18.410.65.7
Mar68° / 48°2.87.711.76.8
Apr75° / 52°1.24.712.97.9
May83° / 58°0.72.8147.1
Jun92° / 64°0.10.614.54.6
Jul97° / 68°0.00.214.32.8
Aug95° / 67°0.00.113.43.3
Sep90° / 63°0.10.412.35.4
Oct79° / 55°0.82.3118.3
Nov67° / 46°1.54.8107.1
Dec58° / 41°3.07.49.54.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27129
37129
47129
57228
67228
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127228
137228
147228
157327
167327
177426
187426
197525
207624
217624
227723
237822
247921
257921
268119
278119
288119
298218
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Atwater gets around 0.7 in of rain over 2.8 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 9% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
210
310
410
510
610
710
810
910
1010
1110
1210
1310
1410
159
169
179
189
199
209
219
228
238
247
257
267
276
286
296
306
315

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3964
4964
5964
6964
7973
8973
9973
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15982
16982
17982
18973
19973
20973
21973
22973
23964
24964
25964
26955
27955
28955
29955
30946
31946

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 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
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:14 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:146:45
213.65:136:46
313.65:126:47
413.65:116:48
513.75:106:49
613.75:086:50
713.75:076:51
813.85:066:52
913.85:056:52
1013.85:046:53
1113.85:036:54
1213.95:026:55
1313.95:016:56
1413.95:006:57
1514.05:006:58
1614.04:596:59
1714.04:587:00
1814.14:577:00
1914.14:567:01
2014.14:567:02
2114.14:557:03
2214.24:547:04
2314.24:537:05
2414.24:537:05
2514.24:527:06
2614.34:527:07
2714.34:517:08
2814.34:517:08
2914.34:507:09
3014.34:507:10
3114.44:497:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.4 kWh/m² to a high of 8.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.57 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.7Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.8Intense
247.8Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
297.9Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Atwater?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Atwater for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Atwater in May

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

In May, Atwater sees daytime highs around 83°F and nights near 58°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Atwater in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Atwater peaks around June 19 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 10Dec 14UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Atwater 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 Atwater is worst in August — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (June, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateAug 1928 µg/m³Jun 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Atwater?

Atwater sits at 37.3°N, 120.6°W, 151 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Merced, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Atwater

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Atwater has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 ft around an average of 154 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,919 ft.

The land around Atwater is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), cropland (23%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (32%), trees (29%) and grassland (28%) within 10 miles, and grassland (47%) and trees (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
56 ft
10 miles
341 ft
50 miles
6,919 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Merced 7.5 mi · Turlock 17 mi · Los Banos 24 mi · Chowchilla 25 mi · Ceres 25 mi · Modesto 29 mi · Patterson 30 mi · Oakdale 32 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 Atwater (37.3477°, -120.6091°, elevation 151 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).