Bozeman weather in May

In May, Bozeman sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 16.3 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 53°F in the first days to 62°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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bozeman's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bozeman's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
5th warmest
Overnight low
35°
8th coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
16.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
4:59 AM – 7:42 PM
Cloud cover
65%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Bozeman is city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States.

Density
875/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

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 53°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bozeman reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 71°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)
15230
25330
35330
45331
55431
65431
75532
85532
95632
105633
115633
125733
135734
145834
155835
165835
175935
185936
195936
206036
216037
226037
236037
246138
256138
266138
276238
286239
296239
306239
316339

How May really feels in Bozeman

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 18 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
18
wind chill below the day's low

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

Bozeman weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 12°1.28.798.90.0
Feb31° / 13°1.38.69.310.10.0
Mar39° / 19°1.911.39.511.60.1
Apr47° / 26°3.214.19.513.31.4
May58° / 35°4.016.33.214.73.6
Jun67° / 42°4.214.40.715.45.6
Jul78° / 48°2.08.6015.17.3
Aug77° / 47°1.67.2013.97.6
Sep66° / 40°2.18.30.912.36.4
Oct51° / 29°2.310.64.810.72.6
Nov37° / 17°1.79.58.49.30.0
Dec28° / 10°1.38.798.60.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
34060
44060
54159
64159
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
123862
133862
143961
153961
163862
173862
184060
193961
203961
213961
223961
234060
243961
253961
263961
273961
283961
293961
303961
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bozeman gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 16.3 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 53% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14824
24923
34922
44921
54920
64918
74917
84916
94915
105014
115013
125112
135111
145211
155310
165310
17549
18559
19558
20568
21568
22577
23577
24576
25576
26576
27576
28575
29575
30565
31565

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 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 5:20 AM to 4:45 AM, and sunset from 7:23 PM to 7:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:207:23
214.15:187:24
314.15:177:25
414.25:157:27
514.25:147:28
614.35:127:29
714.35:117:31
814.45:097:32
914.45:087:33
1014.55:077:34
1114.55:057:36
1214.55:047:37
1314.65:037:38
1414.65:027:39
1514.75:007:40
1614.74:597:42
1714.74:587:43
1814.84:577:44
1914.84:567:45
2014.94:557:46
2114.94:547:47
2214.94:537:49
2315.04:527:50
2415.04:517:51
2515.04:507:52
2615.14:497:53
2715.14:487:54
2815.14:477:55
2915.24:477:56
3015.24:467:57
3115.24:457:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.67 kWh/m² to a high of 7.6 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.62 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Bozeman

In seasonPeak

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

Bozeman's rainy season runs March–July, 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 Bozeman?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bozeman.

What to pack for Bozeman in May

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

In May, Bozeman sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 35°F. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Bozeman 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 Bozeman peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Bozeman 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 Bozeman is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1618 µg/m³Jan 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bozeman?

Bozeman sits at 45.7°N, 111.0°W, 4,816 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Butte, 75 mi away.

Topography around Bozeman

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bozeman has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 627 ft around an average of 4,843 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,731 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,293 ft.

The land around Bozeman is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), grassland (32%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (34%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and trees (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
627 ft
10 miles
4,731 ft
50 miles
7,293 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Butte 75 mi · Helena 79 mi · Billings 122 mi · Great Falls 126 mi · Rexburg 133 mi · Idaho Falls 160 mi · Missoula 163 mi · Conda 206 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 Bozeman (45.6797°, -111.0386°, elevation 4,816 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).