Bar Harbor weather in May

In May, Bar Harbor sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 54°F in the first days to 61°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 Bar Harbor's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bar Harbor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
5th warmest
Overnight low
46°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
11 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:12 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Bar Harbor is town in Hancock County, Maine, United States.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 5.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1763

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 54°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bar Harbor reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15342
25342
35442
45442
55443
65543
75543
85544
95544
105644
115644
125645
135645
145745
155745
165746
175746
185846
195846
205847
215947
225947
235947
246048
256048
266048
276049
286149
296149
306149
316250

How May really feels in Bar Harbor

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.

Bar Harbor weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 16°3.910.27.790.0
Feb31° / 17°3.39.3710.10.0
Mar38° / 25°3.910.6611.60.0
Apr48° / 37°3.811.42.413.21.6
May57° / 46°3.311014.63.9
Jun66° / 54°3.610.1015.35.9
Jul72° / 60°2.8100156.7
Aug72° / 60°2.88.3013.87.0
Sep66° / 54°3.77.9012.36.3
Oct56° / 45°4.79.90.210.83.7
Nov45° / 35°4.3101.59.41.1
Dec35° / 24°4.811.66.28.70.0

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23862
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133862
143961
153862
163862
173961
183862
193763
203862
213862
223763
233763
243664
253763
263664
273565
283565
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bar Harbor gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 11 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 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1372
2372
3372
4362
5361
6361
7361
8361
9361
10360
11360
12360
13360
14360
15360
16360
17360
18360
19360
20360
21360
22360
23350
24350
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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
810000
910000
1010000
1110000
1210000
139910
149910
159910
169910
179820
189820
199730
209730
219640
229640
239550
249460
259460
269370
279280
289181
299091
3089101
3189101

Wind in May

Winds average 8 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
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

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 4:31 AM to 3:58 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:316:29
214.04:306:30
314.04:286:31
414.14:276:32
514.14:266:34
614.24:246:35
714.24:236:36
814.34:216:37
914.34:206:38
1014.34:196:40
1114.44:176:41
1214.44:166:42
1314.54:156:43
1414.54:146:44
1514.54:136:45
1614.64:126:47
1714.64:106:48
1814.74:096:49
1914.74:086:50
2014.74:076:51
2114.84:066:52
2214.84:056:53
2314.84:056:54
2414.94:046:55
2514.94:036:56
2614.94:026:57
2714.94:016:58
2815.04:006:59
2915.04:007:00
3015.03:597:01
3115.13:587:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.41 kWh/m² to a high of 5.84 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.34 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bar Harbor

In seasonPeak

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

Bar Harbor 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 Bar Harbor?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bar Harbor.

What to pack for Bar Harbor in May

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

In May, Bar Harbor sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Bar Harbor in May

The nearest coast averages about 44°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 55°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

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

40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr40Bracing
May44Bracing
Jun48Bracing
Jul53Bracing
Aug55Bracing
Sep54Bracing
Oct52Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Bar Harbor 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 Bar Harbor 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 22 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 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bar Harbor?

Bar Harbor sits at 44.4°N, 68.2°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bangor, 40 mi away.

Topography around Bar Harbor

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bar Harbor has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 938 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,526 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,516 ft.

The land around Bar Harbor is covered by water (52%) and trees (41%) within 2 miles, water (48%) and trees (47%) within 10 miles, and water (49%) and trees (47%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
938 ft
10 miles
1,526 ft
50 miles
1,516 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Bangor 40 mi · Waterville 71 mi · Augusta 78 mi · Brunswick 93 mi · Lewiston 101 mi · Auburn 103 mi · South Portland 114 mi · Portland 114 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 Bar Harbor (44.3876°, -68.2039°, elevation 0 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).