Bangor weather in May

In May, Bangor sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 67°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bangor's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bangor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
5th warmest
Overnight low
44°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:13 AM – 6:50 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Bangor is city in and county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States.

Density
362/km²
people per km²
Founded
1769

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 59°F in the first days to 67°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bangor reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15839
25940
35940
46040
56041
66041
76141
86142
96142
106242
116242
126243
136243
146343
156343
166344
176444
186444
196445
206545
216545
226546
236546
246646
256646
266647
276747
286747
296748
306748
316848

How May really feels in Bangor

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.

Bangor weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 11°3.49.16.990.0
Feb31° / 13°2.997.310.10.0
Mar39° / 22°3.610.46.311.60.2
Apr52° / 34°3.611.22.713.22.6
May63° / 44°3.311.30.114.65.3
Jun73° / 53°3.711.4015.36.3
Jul78° / 59°3.110.60156.5
Aug77° / 58°3.09.5013.96.9
Sep69° / 50°3.58.4012.36.7
Oct57° / 40°4.410.60.510.74.0
Nov45° / 30°3.79.82.69.40.9
Dec34° / 19°4.311.578.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123565
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183565
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243466
253466
263565
273367
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bangor gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 11.3 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1373
2372
3372
4362
5361
6361
7361
8361
9361
10361
11360
12360
13360
14360
15360
16360
17360
18360
19360
20360
21360
22360
23360
24370
25370
26370
27370
28380
29380
30380
31380

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
149820
159820
169820
179730
189730
199541
209541
219451
229361
239271
249172
259082
268992
2788102
2886113
2986113
3085123
3185123

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
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 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:33 AM to 3:59 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:336:32
214.04:316:33
314.14:306:34
414.14:286:36
514.24:276:37
614.24:256:38
714.34:246:39
814.34:236:40
914.34:216:42
1014.44:206:43
1114.44:196:44
1214.54:176:45
1314.54:166:47
1414.54:156:48
1514.64:146:49
1614.64:136:50
1714.74:126:51
1814.74:106:52
1914.74:096:53
2014.84:086:55
2114.84:076:56
2214.84:066:57
2314.94:066:58
2414.94:056:59
2514.94:047:00
2615.04:037:01
2715.04:027:02
2815.04:017:03
2915.14:017:04
3015.14:007:05
3115.13:597:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 5.74 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.28 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bangor

In seasonPeak

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

Bangor 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 Bangor?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bangor for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bangor in May

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

In May, Bangor sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Bangor in May

The nearest coast averages about 46°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 30 mi away) is warmest in August at about 58°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

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

30°40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr40Bracing
May46Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep57Bracing
Oct54Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index in Bangor 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 Bangor peaks around July 13 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 7Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bangor?

Bangor sits at 44.8°N, 68.8°W, 118 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bar Harbor, 40 mi away.

Topography around Bangor

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bangor has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft around an average of 118 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 912 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,870 ft.

The land around Bangor is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
266 ft
10 miles
912 ft
50 miles
1,870 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Bar Harbor 40 mi · Waterville 45 mi · Augusta 60 mi · Brunswick 85 mi · Lewiston 86 mi · Auburn 87 mi · Portland 108 mi · South Portland 108 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 Bangor (44.7988°, -68.7726°, elevation 118 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).