Council Bluffs weather in May

In May, Council Bluffs sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 5.5 in of precipitation across 12.6 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 Council Bluffs's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Council Bluffs's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.5 in
12.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:10 AM – 7:29 PM
Cloud cover
61%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Council Bluffs is city and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States.

Density
554/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Council Bluffs reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°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)
16747
26747
36748
46848
56849
66949
76949
87050
97050
107051
117151
127151
137152
147252
157252
167253
177353
187353
197354
207354
217455
227455
237455
247556
257556
267556
277657
287657
297658
307758
317758

How May really feels in Council Bluffs

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.

Council Bluffs 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
Jan32° / 15°1.04.84.19.40.0
Feb37° / 19°1.35.74.210.30.0
Mar50° / 30°2.48.22.511.72.3
Apr62° / 41°4.210.71.213.15.1
May72° / 53°5.512.60.114.36.3
Jun82° / 63°5.211.6014.96.0
Jul85° / 67°3.59.3014.75.5
Aug83° / 64°3.68.9013.76.2
Sep76° / 55°3.17.9012.37.3
Oct64° / 43°2.87.50.410.96.1
Nov49° / 30°1.85.51.89.72.3
Dec36° / 20°1.45.13.79.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34258
44357
54357
64357
74357
84456
94456
104456
114456
124456
134456
144555
154555
164456
174357
184456
194357
204357
214456
224258
234357
244357
254357
264357
274456
284456
294456
304555
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Council Bluffs gets around 5.5 in of rain and snow over 12.6 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 41% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
341
441
540
640
740
839
939
1038
1138
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1738
1839
1939
2040
2141
2241
2342
2443
2544
2645
2745
2845
2946
3045
3145

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 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1888310
2869410
38410510
48311510
58112610
68013610
77814710
87615810
97515820
107316920
1172161020
1271171020
1370181020
1468181130
1568181130
1666191230
1765191240
1864191340
1962191450
2062191450
2159201560
2258201660
2357201670
2455211770
2554211780
2651221890
2751221890
28482318100
29462319110
30442419120
31432419131

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
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 5:28 AM to 4:59 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:287:13
213.85:277:14
313.85:267:15
413.95:247:16
513.95:237:17
613.95:227:18
714.05:207:20
814.05:197:21
914.15:187:22
1014.15:177:23
1114.15:167:24
1214.25:157:25
1314.25:147:26
1414.25:137:27
1514.35:117:28
1614.35:107:29
1714.35:107:30
1814.45:097:31
1914.45:087:32
2014.45:077:33
2114.55:067:34
2214.55:057:35
2314.55:047:36
2414.65:047:37
2514.65:037:37
2614.65:027:38
2714.65:017:39
2814.75:017:40
2914.75:007:41
3014.75:007:42
3114.74:597:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.92 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Council Bluffs

In seasonPeak

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

Council Bluffs'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 Council Bluffs?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Council Bluffs for sightseeing.

What to pack for Council Bluffs in May

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

In May, Council Bluffs sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Council Bluffs 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 Council Bluffs peaks around June 21 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 highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Council Bluffs?

Council Bluffs sits at 41.3°N, 95.9°W, 988 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Omaha, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Council Bluffs

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Council Bluffs has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 ft around an average of 1,043 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft.

The land around Council Bluffs is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (38%) within 2 miles, cropland (34%) and trees (30%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
335 ft
10 miles
440 ft
50 miles
617 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Omaha 4.3 mi · Bellevue 8.7 mi · La Vista 11 mi · Papillion 12 mi · Fremont 35 mi · Lincoln 53 mi · Columbus 79 mi · Sioux City 90 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 Council Bluffs (41.2619°, -95.8608°, elevation 988 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).