Durango weather in May

In May, Durango sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 6.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 70°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Durango's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Durango's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
5th warmest
Overnight low
37°
8th coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
6.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:08 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
46%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Durango is home rule municipality in and county seat of La Plata County, Colorado, United States.

Density
698/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 70°F by the end.

A typical May day in Durango reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 28°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16033
26033
36033
46133
56134
66234
76235
86235
96335
106336
116436
126436
136437
146537
156537
166537
176638
186638
196638
206738
216739
226739
236839
246840
256940
266940
276940
287041
297041
307141
317142

How May really feels in Durango

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 13 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
13
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Durango weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 12°2.47.17.39.70.0
Feb38° / 16°2.38.37.810.60.0
Mar46° / 22°1.97.86.311.71.3
Apr54° / 29°1.77.33.912.93.7
May65° / 37°1.56.41146.6
Jun77° / 46°0.73.3014.58.3
Jul81° / 53°1.57.7014.37.1
Aug78° / 52°1.88.8013.47.2
Sep71° / 44°2.57.1012.37.4
Oct59° / 33°2.27.31.4115.4
Nov46° / 20°2.06.25101.4
Dec35° / 11°2.06.66.69.50.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36238
46337
56337
66436
76436
86535
96436
106436
116436
126436
136436
146436
156436
166436
176436
186436
196436
206436
216436
226634
236634
246733
256832
266931
277030
287129
297327
307426
317525

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Durango gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 6.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 21% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1238
2238
3237
4237
5226
6226
7225
8215
9214
10214
11214
12214
13213
14213
15223
16223
17223
18223
19223
20213
21213
22213
23202
24202
25192
26192
27182
28171
29161
30151
31151

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:23 AM to 4:58 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:236:54
213.55:226:55
313.65:216:56
413.65:206:57
513.75:196:58
613.75:186:59
713.75:177:00
813.75:167:00
913.85:147:01
1013.85:137:02
1113.85:127:03
1213.95:127:04
1313.95:117:05
1413.95:107:06
1514.05:097:07
1614.05:087:08
1714.05:077:08
1814.05:067:09
1914.15:067:10
2014.15:057:11
2114.15:047:12
2214.25:037:13
2314.25:037:13
2414.25:027:14
2514.25:017:15
2614.25:017:16
2714.35:007:17
2814.35:007:17
2914.34:597:18
3014.34:597:19
3114.44:587:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.84 kWh/m² to a high of 8.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.6Intense
127.6Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.7Intense
197.8Intense
207.8Intense
217.8Intense
227.8Intense
237.9Intense
247.9Intense
257.9Intense
268.0Intense
278.0Intense
288.0Intense
298.1Intense
308.1Intense
318.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Durango?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Durango for sightseeing.

What to pack for Durango in May

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

In May, Durango sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 37°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Durango in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Durango peaks around July 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Durango 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 Durango is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1616 µg/m³Oct 225 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb5Good
Mar6Good
Apr6Good
May6Good
Jun17Moderate
Jul7Good
Aug9Good
Sep7Good
Oct5Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Durango?

Durango sits at 37.3°N, 107.9°W, 6,532 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Farmington, 42 mi away.

Topography around Durango

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Durango has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,289 ft around an average of 6,870 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,692 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,012 ft.

The land around Durango is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (63%) and grassland (28%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%) and grassland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,289 ft
10 miles
4,692 ft
50 miles
9,012 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Farmington 42 mi · Telluride 46 mi · Montrose 83 mi · Moab 128 mi · Grand Junction 129 mi · Clifton 129 mi · Gallup 130 mi · Aspen 144 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 Durango (37.2753°, -107.8801°, elevation 6,532 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).