Cranston weather in May

In May, Cranston sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 71°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cranston's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cranston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
5th warmest
Overnight low
50°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:31 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Cranston is city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States.

Density
1,046/km²
people per km²
Founded
1754

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 63°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical May day in Cranston reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 78°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)
16246
26246
36346
46347
56347
66447
76447
86448
96448
106548
116549
126549
136649
146649
156649
166750
176750
186750
196851
206851
216851
226952
236952
246952
257053
267053
277153
287154
297154
307154
317255

How May really feels in Cranston

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.

Cranston weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 23°3.6105.29.30.0
Feb39° / 24°3.18.64.810.30.0
Mar46° / 31°4.410.74.311.71.2
Apr57° / 41°3.810.80.713.13.9
May67° / 50°3.110.8014.35.9
Jun76° / 60°3.510.10156.7
Jul82° / 66°3.210.6014.76.3
Aug80° / 64°3.810.3013.76.5
Sep73° / 57°3.68.3012.37.0
Oct62° / 47°4.19.30.210.95.4
Nov51° / 37°3.58.80.89.62.7
Dec42° / 29°4.310.4490.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
34159
44159
53961
64060
74060
84060
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
144159
154159
164060
174159
184159
194159
204258
214258
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284258
294159
304159
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cranston gets around 3.1 in of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
736
836
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1737
1836
1936
2036
2135
2234
2334
2433
2532
2632
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
194510
293610
393610
492620
592620
691720
791720
891720
990820
1090820
1188930
1288930
1388930
14871030
15871030
16861040
17841141
18831151
19821251
20801361
21791371
22771481
23751582
24731692
257117102
266918112
276718123
286619123
296420133
306320143
316121153

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
57light breeze
67light breeze
77light breeze
87light breeze
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 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 4:50 AM to 4:20 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:506:36
213.84:486:37
313.94:476:39
413.94:456:40
513.94:446:41
614.04:436:42
714.04:426:43
814.14:406:44
914.14:396:45
1014.14:386:46
1114.24:376:47
1214.24:366:48
1314.24:356:49
1414.34:346:50
1514.34:336:51
1614.44:316:53
1714.44:306:54
1814.44:306:55
1914.44:296:56
2014.54:286:57
2114.54:276:57
2214.54:266:58
2314.64:256:59
2414.64:247:00
2514.64:247:01
2614.74:237:02
2714.74:227:03
2814.74:227:04
2914.74:217:05
3014.84:207:06
3114.84:207:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.66 kWh/m² to a high of 5.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.53 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Cranston

In seasonPeak

None of Cranston's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Cranston sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Cranston?

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
2.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Cranston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cranston in May

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

In May, Cranston sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cranston in May

The nearest coast averages about 51°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 28 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 26 to Aug 30 — about 1.2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May51Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct61Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Cranston 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 Cranston peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Cranston 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 Cranston is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Nov 189 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cranston?

Cranston sits at 41.8°N, 71.4°W, 62 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Providence, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Cranston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cranston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft around an average of 69 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 600 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,604 ft.

The land around Cranston is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (33%) within 2 miles, trees (55%) within 10 miles, and trees (63%) and water (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
220 ft
10 miles
600 ft
50 miles
1,604 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Providence 3.1 mi · East Providence 4.3 mi · Johnston 4.3 mi · North Providence 5.0 mi · Warwick 5.6 mi · Barrington 7.5 mi · West Warwick 7.5 mi · Pawtucket 7.5 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 Cranston (41.7798°, -71.4373°, elevation 62 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).