Eau Claire weather in May

In May, Eau Claire sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 72°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 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Eau Claire's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Eau Claire's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
5th warmest
Overnight low
48°
8th coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
12.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:44 AM – 7:21 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Eau Claire is city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in Wisconsin, United States, that is the county seat of Eau Claire County.

Density
766/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 72°F by the end.

A typical May day in Eau Claire reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 12°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16242
26243
36343
46344
56344
66444
76445
86545
96546
106546
116646
126647
136647
146747
156748
166748
176848
186849
196949
206949
216950
227050
237051
247051
257151
267152
277152
287253
297253
307253
317354

How May really feels in Eau Claire

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.

Eau Claire 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
Jan24° / 1.26.86.790.0
Feb29° / 12°1.15.75.310.10.0
Mar41° / 24°2.18.54.511.60.6
Apr55° / 36°3.511.52.613.23.4
May67° / 48°4.312.80.114.65.7
Jun77° / 58°4.512.1015.36.4
Jul80° / 62°3.310.60156.5
Aug78° / 60°4.010013.96.8
Sep71° / 52°3.39.7012.36.7
Oct57° / 39°2.990.510.74.0
Nov41° / 27°2.16.93.69.40.5
Dec29° / 15°1.56.96.28.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33763
43763
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113664
123763
133763
143763
153763
163763
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223862
233961
243862
253862
263862
273862
283862
293862
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Eau Claire gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 12.8 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1392
2402
3402
4412
5411
6421
7421
8421
9420
10420
11410
12410
13410
14410
15400
16400
17400
18400
19400
20400
21400
22400
23400
24410
25410
26410
27410
28410
29410
30410
31410

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196310
296310
395410
495410
594510
693520
793520
893520
991630
1091630
1191630
1290730
1389740
1489740
1587841
1686851
1786851
1885951
1983962
20821062
21821062
22791173
23781273
24781273
25751384
26751384
27741484
28731494
29711595
307015105
316916105

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
267light breeze
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 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 5:04 AM to 4:30 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:047:03
214.05:027:04
314.15:017:05
414.14:597:06
514.24:587:08
614.24:567:09
714.34:557:10
814.34:547:11
914.34:527:13
1014.44:517:14
1114.44:507:15
1214.54:487:16
1314.54:477:17
1414.54:467:19
1514.64:457:20
1614.64:447:21
1714.74:427:22
1814.74:417:23
1914.74:407:24
2014.84:397:25
2114.84:387:27
2214.84:377:28
2314.94:367:29
2414.94:357:30
2514.94:357:31
2615.04:347:32
2715.04:337:33
2815.04:327:34
2915.14:327:35
3015.14:317:36
3115.14:307:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.41 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Eau Claire?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Eau Claire for sightseeing.

What to pack for Eau Claire in May

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

In May, Eau Claire sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 highHighModerateLowJun 16UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Eau Claire?

Eau Claire sits at 44.8°N, 91.5°W, 787 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Menomonie, 21 mi away.

Topography around Eau Claire

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Eau Claire has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft around an average of 850 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 ft.

The land around Eau Claire is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and cropland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
305 ft
10 miles
472 ft
50 miles
1,099 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Menomonie 21 mi · Winona 53 mi · Red Wing 53 mi · River Falls 55 mi · Onalaska 65 mi · Marshfield 66 mi · Stillwater 66 mi · Hastings 66 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 Eau Claire (44.8113°, -91.4985°, elevation 787 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).