Bismarck weather in May

In May, Bismarck sees average daytime highs of 66°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 14.8 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 70°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bismarck's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bismarck's year-round climate.

Daytime high
66°
5th warmest
Overnight low
44°
8th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
5:15 AM – 8:04 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
10 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Bismarck is capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and seat of Burleigh County.

Density
58,300/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 70°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bismarck reaches about 66°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 13°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16038
26038
36139
46139
56139
66240
76240
86341
96341
106341
116442
126442
136543
146543
156544
166644
176644
186745
196745
206746
216846
226847
236947
246947
256948
266948
277049
287049
297049
307150
317150

How May really feels in Bismarck

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 2 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
2
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Bismarck 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
Jan22° / 0.64.54.88.80.0
Feb26° / 0.74.44.6100.0
Mar38° / 20°1.05411.60.2
Apr53° / 32°1.87.52.913.33.1
May66° / 44°2.99.80.414.85.9
Jun75° / 55°3.811.1015.66.7
Jul81° / 60°3.09.8015.36.8
Aug81° / 57°2.37.40147.2
Sep71° / 48°1.86.5012.47.2
Oct55° / 35°1.86.51.510.64.0
Nov38° / 22°0.84.13.59.20.2
Dec26° / 10°0.74.44.98.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44357
54357
64357
74456
84456
94456
104555
114555
124555
134654
144555
154555
164555
174555
184654
194654
204654
214654
224654
234555
244456
254456
264555
274555
284555
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bismarck gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 32% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1314
2324
3324
4323
5333
6333
7333
8323
9322
10322
11322
12322
13312
14312
15312
16301
17301
18301
19301
20301
21301
22301
23310
24320
25320
26330
27340
28340
29350
30350
31360

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 93% 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
59820
69820
79820
89820
99730
109730
119640
129640
139640
149550
159451
169361
179361
189271
199271
209181
219181
229091
239091
2489101
2589101
2688111
2787121
2885132
2985132
3084142
3183152

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:36 AM to 5:00 AM, and sunset from 7:44 PM to 8:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:367:44
214.25:357:46
314.25:337:47
414.35:327:48
514.35:307:50
614.45:287:51
714.45:277:52
814.55:267:54
914.55:247:55
1014.65:237:56
1114.65:217:58
1214.75:207:59
1314.75:198:00
1414.75:178:02
1514.85:168:03
1614.85:158:04
1714.95:148:05
1814.95:128:07
1914.95:118:08
2015.05:108:09
2115.05:098:10
2215.15:088:11
2315.15:078:12
2415.15:068:14
2515.25:058:15
2615.25:048:16
2715.25:038:17
2815.35:028:18
2915.35:028:19
3015.35:018:20
3115.35:008:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.95 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bismarck

In seasonPeak

In May, Bismarck sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bismarck's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Bismarck?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bismarck for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bismarck in May

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

In May, Bismarck sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bismarck in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bismarck peaks around June 22 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bismarck?

Bismarck sits at 46.8°N, 100.8°W, 1,686 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Bismarck

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bismarck has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 1,713 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft.

The land around Bismarck is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (63%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (62%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
915 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Mandan 5.0 mi · Dickinson 95 mi · Jamestown 98 mi · Minot 101 mi · Aberdeen 144 mi · Williston 162 mi · West Fargo 183 mi · Fargo 189 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 Bismarck (46.8083°, -100.7837°, elevation 1,686 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).