Dubuque weather in May

In May, Dubuque sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 4.4 in of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 74°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 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dubuque's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dubuque's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.4 in
12.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:47 AM – 7:11 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Dubuque is city in and county seat of Dubuque, Iowa, United States.

Density
719/km²
people per km²
Founded
1788

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 64°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Dubuque reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16446
26446
36447
46547
56547
66648
76648
86649
96749
106749
116750
126850
136850
146951
156951
166951
176952
187052
197052
207153
217153
227153
237154
247254
257255
267355
277355
287356
297456
307456
317457

How May really feels in Dubuque

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.

Dubuque 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
Jan28° / 13°1.57.469.20.0
Feb32° / 17°1.76.6510.30.0
Mar45° / 29°2.593.411.61.1
Apr58° / 40°4.211.71.113.14.0
May69° / 51°4.412.7014.45.9
Jun78° / 61°4.712015.16.4
Jul82° / 65°3.89.9014.86.5
Aug80° / 63°3.89.7013.76.8
Sep73° / 55°3.68.3012.37.1
Oct60° / 42°2.78.60.410.84.9
Nov45° / 31°2.37.529.61.1
Dec33° / 20°1.97.75.48.90.0

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33961
43862
53862
63862
73862
83862
93862
103763
113763
123763
133763
143862
153862
163862
173862
183862
193862
203961
214060
224060
234060
244159
254258
264357
274258
284357
294357
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dubuque gets around 4.4 in of rain over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2141
2241
2341
2441
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
191720
290820
388930
488930
5861040
6851140
7851140
8821251
9821251
10801361
11801361
12791371
13791371
14771472
15761482
16761482
17741493
18741493
197214104
207115104
216915115
226915115
236616126
246616126
256317137
266218137
276118138
285919148
295820148
305620159
315521159

Wind in May

Winds average 8 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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light 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
297light breeze
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 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 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:05 AM to 4:34 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:056:55
213.95:046:56
313.95:026:57
414.05:016:58
514.05:006:59
614.04:587:00
714.14:577:01
814.14:567:03
914.24:547:04
1014.24:537:05
1114.24:527:06
1214.34:517:07
1314.34:507:08
1414.34:497:09
1514.44:487:10
1614.44:477:11
1714.44:467:12
1814.54:457:13
1914.54:447:14
2014.54:437:15
2114.64:427:16
2214.64:417:17
2314.64:407:18
2414.74:397:19
2514.74:387:20
2614.74:387:21
2714.84:377:22
2814.84:367:23
2914.84:367:24
3014.84:357:25
3114.94:347:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
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
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Dubuque?

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
3.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Dubuque for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dubuque in May

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

In May, Dubuque sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Dubuque 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 Dubuque peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 1915 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dubuque?

Dubuque sits at 42.5°N, 90.7°W, 620 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clinton, 52 mi away.

Topography around Dubuque

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dubuque has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 633 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 896 ft.

The land around Dubuque is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (35%), trees (34%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (57%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
328 ft
10 miles
633 ft
50 miles
896 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Clinton 52 mi · Freeport 55 mi · Marion 58 mi · Cedar Rapids 60 mi · Davenport 68 mi · Bettendorf 68 mi · Fitchburg 68 mi · Rock Island 68 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 Dubuque (42.5006°, -90.6646°, elevation 620 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).