Burlington weather in May

In May, Burlington sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 13 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 77°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Burlington's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
13 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:53 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
63%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Burlington is city in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States.

Density
644/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 68°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical May day in Burlington reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16749
26749
36849
46850
56950
66951
76951
87051
97052
107152
117152
127153
137153
147253
157254
167254
177354
187355
197355
207455
217456
227456
237556
247557
257557
267658
277658
287658
297759
307759
317759

How May really feels in Burlington

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.

Burlington 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
Jan33° / 18°1.87.44.79.40.0
Feb37° / 21°2.06.93.810.40.0
Mar50° / 32°2.99.92.311.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.411.90.613.15.0
May72° / 54°4.613014.26.2
Jun82° / 64°4.611.6014.96.0
Jul85° / 67°3.19.5014.65.5
Aug83° / 65°3.39013.66.1
Sep76° / 57°3.67.9012.37.3
Oct64° / 45°2.88.10.210.96.0
Nov49° / 33°2.67.71.19.72.3
Dec38° / 23°2.16.93.39.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
64060
74060
84060
94060
104258
114258
124258
134159
144159
154258
164258
174258
184159
194258
204159
214258
224258
234258
244357
254258
264258
274357
284456
294456
304456
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Burlington gets around 4.6 in of rain over 13 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1742
1842
1942
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2941
3041
3141

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 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18311510
28112610
37913620
47714720
57515820
67315930
77315930
871161030
969161140
1068161240
1167161250
1265171350
1365171350
1464171450
1563171460
1662171560
1761171570
1860171670
1958171681
2057171781
2156171791
2255171891
23531719101
24521819101
25501820111
26491820111
27481820121
28471920131
29461920141
30441921141
31431921152

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
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light 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 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 4:41 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:106:53
213.85:096:54
313.85:076:55
413.85:066:56
513.95:056:57
613.95:046:59
714.05:027:00
814.05:017:01
914.05:007:02
1014.14:597:03
1114.14:587:04
1214.14:577:05
1314.24:567:06
1414.24:557:07
1514.24:547:08
1614.34:537:09
1714.34:527:10
1814.34:517:11
1914.44:507:12
2014.44:497:13
2114.44:487:14
2214.54:477:15
2314.54:477:15
2414.54:467:16
2514.54:457:17
2614.64:447:18
2714.64:447:19
2814.64:437:20
2914.64:437:21
3014.74:427:21
3114.74:417:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Burlington?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Burlington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Burlington in May

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

In May, Burlington sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Burlington in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Burlington peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Burlington 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 Burlington is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1815 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burlington?

Burlington sits at 40.8°N, 91.1°W, 607 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Macomb, 34 mi away.

Topography around Burlington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Burlington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 633 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 443 ft.

The land around Burlington is covered by trees (34%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (47%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) and trees (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
443 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Macomb 34 mi · Galesburg 40 mi · Muscatine 43 mi · Rock Island 56 mi · Davenport 57 mi · Moline 57 mi · Bettendorf 58 mi · East Moline 59 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 Burlington (40.8075°, -91.1129°, elevation 607 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).