Ellensburg weather in May

In May, Ellensburg sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 1.3 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 62°F in the first days to 69°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ellensburg's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ellensburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
5th warmest
Overnight low
43°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1.3 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
4:33 AM – 7:24 PM
Cloud cover
58%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Ellensburg is city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 62°F in the first days to 69°F by the end.

A typical May day in Ellensburg reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16140
26140
36240
46240
56241
66341
76341
86341
96442
106442
116442
126543
136543
146543
156543
166544
176644
186644
196644
206645
216745
226745
236745
246745
256846
266846
276846
286846
296946
306946
316947

How May really feels in Ellensburg

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.

Ellensburg weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 24°2.712.68.78.70.0
Feb39° / 26°1.99.16.3100.0
Mar47° / 30°1.89.94.411.61.5
Apr56° / 36°1.38.10.813.33.9
May65° / 43°1.37.3014.86.3
Jun72° / 49°0.74.6015.67.7
Jul81° / 55°0.32015.37.9
Aug81° / 54°0.31.80148.1
Sep71° / 47°0.63.4012.48.0
Oct57° / 38°1.67.20.510.64.4
Nov42° / 29°2.611.24.79.10.5
Dec33° / 23°3.112.79.68.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35545
45446
55446
65446
75347
85248
95248
105149
115050
124951
134852
144753
154753
164654
174654
184654
194555
204555
214654
224654
234852
244852
254852
265050
275050
285050
295149
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ellensburg gets around 1.3 in of rain over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
321
421
521
622
722
822
923
1023
1123
1224
1324
1424
1525
1625
1725
1825
1925
2025
2125
2225
2324
2424
2523
2623
2722
2822
2921
3021
3121

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 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 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:55 AM to 4:19 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.14:557:04
214.24:537:05
314.24:527:07
414.34:507:08
514.34:497:09
614.44:477:11
714.44:467:12
814.54:447:13
914.54:437:15
1014.64:417:16
1114.64:407:17
1214.74:387:19
1314.74:377:20
1414.84:367:21
1514.84:347:22
1614.84:337:24
1714.94:327:25
1814.94:317:26
1915.04:307:27
2015.04:297:29
2115.04:277:30
2215.14:267:31
2315.14:257:32
2415.14:247:33
2515.24:237:34
2615.24:237:35
2715.24:227:37
2815.34:217:38
2915.34:207:39
3015.34:197:40
3115.44:197:41

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.27 kWh/m² to a high of 7.71 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ellensburg?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ellensburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ellensburg in May

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

In May, Ellensburg sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 43°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 7.6× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1031 µg/m³Dec 204 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul9Good
Aug29Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ellensburg?

Ellensburg sits at 47.0°N, 120.5°W, 1,542 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Yakima, 27 mi away.

Topography around Ellensburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ellensburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 1,562 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,720 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,714 ft.

The land around Ellensburg is covered by grassland (35%), artificial surfaces (25%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (63%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (45%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
2,720 ft
50 miles
8,714 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Yakima 27 mi · Wenatchee 32 mi · Sunnyside 53 mi · Moses Lake 60 mi · Maple Valley 75 mi · Richland 78 mi · Covington 78 mi · Bonney Lake 78 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 Ellensburg (46.9965°, -120.5478°, elevation 1,542 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).