Des Moines weather in May

In May, Des Moines sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 5.3 in of precipitation across 13.6 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 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 Des Moines's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Des Moines's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.3 in
13.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:01 AM – 7:21 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Des Moines is capital city of the U.S. state of Iowa and seat of Polk County.

Density
911/km²
people per km²
Founded
1843

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 Des Moines reaches about 71°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 59°F and 83°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)
16647
26647
36748
46748
56849
66849
76849
86950
96950
106951
117051
127051
137152
147152
157152
167153
177253
187253
197254
207354
217355
227355
237455
247456
257456
267556
277557
287557
297658
307658
317658

How May really feels in Des Moines

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.

Des Moines 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
Jan30° / 14°1.26.34.69.30.0
Feb35° / 18°1.56.34.710.30.0
Mar48° / 30°2.68.82.511.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.211.20.913.14.8
May71° / 53°5.313.60.114.36.1
Jun81° / 63°4.911.60156.1
Jul84° / 67°3.69.4014.75.7
Aug82° / 64°3.79.5013.76.4
Sep76° / 55°3.58012.37.2
Oct63° / 43°2.87.80.310.95.8
Nov48° / 31°2.06.81.39.72.0
Dec35° / 20°1.65.93.990.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64159
74159
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134357
144357
154357
164357
174357
184357
194456
204456
214456
224456
234555
244555
254555
264555
274555
284555
294555
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Des Moines gets around 5.3 in of rain and snow over 13.6 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 43% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
342
442
542
642
743
843
943
1042
1142
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1742
1843
1943
2044
2144
2245
2345
2445
2546
2646
2746
2847
2947
3046
3146

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. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1869410
28510410
38410510
48211610
58012710
67913710
77813810
87614910
974141020
1072151120
1172151120
1270161220
1370161220
1469161230
1567171330
1667171330
1766171340
1865171440
1963171550
2062181550
2160181660
2259181670
2357181780
2456181880
2555181890
26541818100
27511919110
28501919120
29481919131
30471919141
31452020151

Wind in May

Winds average 9 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
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light 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 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 5:19 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:197:05
213.85:177:06
313.95:167:07
413.95:157:08
513.95:137:09
614.05:127:10
714.05:117:11
814.05:097:12
914.15:087:13
1014.15:077:14
1114.25:067:16
1214.25:057:17
1314.25:047:18
1414.35:037:19
1514.35:027:20
1614.35:017:21
1714.45:007:22
1814.44:597:23
1914.44:587:24
2014.54:577:25
2114.54:567:26
2214.54:557:27
2314.64:547:28
2414.64:547:29
2514.64:537:29
2614.64:527:30
2714.74:517:31
2814.74:517:32
2914.74:507:33
3014.74:507:34
3114.84:497:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Des Moines?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Des Moines for sightseeing.

What to pack for Des Moines in May

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

In May, Des Moines sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Des Moines 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 Des Moines peaks around June 20 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 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Des Moines 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 Des Moines is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Des Moines?

Des Moines sits at 41.6°N, 93.6°W, 873 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Des Moines, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Des Moines

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Des Moines has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 ft around an average of 840 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 758 ft.

The land around Des Moines is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, trees (33%), grassland (23%) and cropland (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
200 ft
10 miles
276 ft
50 miles
758 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: West Des Moines 5.6 mi · Urbandale 5.6 mi · Clive 6.2 mi · Johnston 6.8 mi · Altoona 8.1 mi · Ankeny 8.7 mi · Waukee 14 mi · Indianola 17 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 Des Moines (41.6005°, -93.6091°, elevation 873 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).