Dover weather in May

In May, Dover sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dover's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
48°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:26 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Dover is county seat city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States.

Density
411/km²
people per km²
Founded
1623

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 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Dover reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15943
26044
36044
46044
56045
66145
76145
86145
96246
106246
116246
126246
136347
146347
156347
166447
176448
186448
196548
206549
216549
226649
236650
246750
256751
266751
276851
286852
296852
306952
316953

How May really feels in Dover

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.

Dover weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 19°3.49.36.89.20.0
Feb34° / 20°3.296.110.20.0
Mar42° / 28°4.210.95.411.60.4
Apr54° / 38°4.010.51.413.13.1
May64° / 48°3.010.3014.45.5
Jun74° / 58°3.610.8015.16.5
Jul79° / 64°3.210.7014.96.5
Aug78° / 62°3.39.2013.86.9
Sep71° / 55°3.48.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 45°4.29.50.210.84.8
Nov48° / 35°3.69.21.29.51.8
Dec38° / 26°4.410.45.28.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23961
33961
43961
54060
64060
73961
83862
93862
103763
113763
123664
133664
143862
153862
163763
173862
183862
193862
203862
214060
224060
234060
244159
254159
264060
274159
284159
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dover gets around 3.0 in of rain over 10.3 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
333
433
533
633
732
832
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3035
3135

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
197210
296310
396310
496310
596310
695410
795410
895410
995410
1094510
1194510
1294510
1393520
1492620
1592620
1692620
1791720
1889830
1989830
2088930
21851041
22841141
23821251
24811261
25801361
26781471
27771472
28751582
29751582
30731692
317116103

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
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 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 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 4:44 AM to 4:13 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:446:37
213.94:436:38
314.04:426:39
414.04:406:40
514.04:396:42
614.14:386:43
714.14:366:44
814.24:356:45
914.24:346:46
1014.24:326:47
1114.34:316:48
1214.34:306:50
1314.44:296:51
1414.44:286:52
1514.44:276:53
1614.54:266:54
1714.54:246:55
1814.54:236:56
1914.64:226:57
2014.64:216:58
2114.64:216:59
2214.74:207:00
2314.74:197:01
2414.74:187:02
2514.84:177:03
2614.84:167:04
2714.84:167:05
2814.94:157:06
2914.94:147:07
3014.94:147:08
3114.94:137:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Dover

In seasonPeak

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

Dover 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 Dover?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Dover for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dover in May

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

In May, Dover sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Dover in May

The nearest coast averages about 49°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 14 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul63Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Dover 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 Dover peaks around July 10 at about 7 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dover?

Dover sits at 43.2°N, 70.9°W, 62 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rochester, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Dover

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dover has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 121 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,943 ft.

The land around Dover is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
696 ft
50 miles
2,943 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Rochester 8.7 mi · Portsmouth 9.9 mi · Sanford 17 mi · Amesbury 24 mi · Newburyport 27 mi · Biddeford 29 mi · Saco 30 mi · Derry Village 30 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 Dover (43.1979°, -70.8737°, 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).