Brighton weather in May

In May, Brighton sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Brighton's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Brighton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
46°
8th coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:49 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Brighton is city in and county seat of Adams County, Colorado, United States.

Density
716/km²
people per km²
Founded
1887

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 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Brighton reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16641
26741
36742
46742
56842
66843
76943
86943
96944
107044
117044
127145
137145
147146
157246
167246
177247
187347
197347
207348
217348
227448
237449
247449
257549
267549
277650
287650
297650
307751
317751

How May really feels in Brighton

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.

Brighton weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 19°0.53.33.59.50.4
Feb46° / 22°0.53.63.510.41.5
Mar56° / 29°1.35.43.411.74.3
Apr63° / 37°2.07.63.2135.8
May72° / 46°2.59.50.614.26.7
Jun83° / 55°1.57014.86.3
Jul89° / 61°1.36.9014.54.6
Aug87° / 60°1.25.7013.65.5
Sep79° / 51°1.04.20.412.37.7
Oct65° / 38°1.25.11.510.96.9
Nov52° / 27°0.74.13.39.83.4
Dec42° / 20°0.533.29.20.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35644
45644
55545
65644
75644
85644
95644
105644
115644
125545
135446
145446
155446
165347
175248
185248
195149
205149
215149
225050
235149
245149
255149
265248
275248
285347
295446
305545
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Brighton gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 9.5 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1296
2296
3296
4295
5295
6295
7294
8294
9294
10293
11293
12293
13293
14303
15303
16302
17312
18312
19322
20321
21321
22331
23331
24331
25331
26330
27330
28330
29330
30330
31320

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:06 AM to 4:39 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:066:47
213.75:056:48
313.75:046:49
413.85:036:50
513.85:016:51
613.95:006:52
713.94:596:53
813.94:586:54
914.04:576:55
1014.04:566:56
1114.04:546:57
1214.14:536:58
1314.14:526:59
1414.14:517:00
1514.24:507:01
1614.24:497:02
1714.24:497:03
1814.34:487:03
1914.34:477:04
2014.34:467:05
2114.44:457:06
2214.44:447:07
2314.44:447:08
2414.44:437:09
2514.54:427:10
2614.54:427:11
2714.54:417:11
2814.54:407:12
2914.64:407:13
3014.64:397:14
3114.64:397:15

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 7.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Brighton?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Brighton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Brighton in May

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

In May, Brighton sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 46°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes, a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesa warm layerrain gear

UV index in Brighton 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 Brighton peaks around July 12 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 11Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Brighton 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 Brighton is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (May, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1620 µg/m³May 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Brighton?

Brighton sits at 40.0°N, 104.8°W, 4,984 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Northglenn, 11 mi away.

Topography around Brighton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Brighton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 4,990 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 640 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,626 ft.

The land around Brighton is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), grassland (32%) and cropland (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (51%) and cropland (28%) within 10 miles, and grassland (48%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
640 ft
50 miles
9,626 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Northglenn 11 mi · Thornton 11 mi · Erie 13 mi · Commerce City 14 mi · Sherrelwood 14 mi · Lafayette 14 mi · Broomfield 15 mi · Westminster 16 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 Brighton (39.9853°, -104.8205°, elevation 4,984 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).