Estes Park weather in May

In May, Estes Park sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 18.6 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 60°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Estes Park's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Estes Park's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
5th warmest
Overnight low
31°
8th coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
18.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:51 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
7.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Estes Park is town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.

Density
356/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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 49°F in the first days to 60°F by the end.

A typical May day in Estes Park reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 41°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 12°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14826
24826
34926
44926
54927
65027
75028
85128
95128
105229
115229
125329
135330
145430
155430
165431
175531
185531
195632
205632
215633
225733
235733
245834
255834
265834
275935
285935
296035
306036
316136

How May really feels in Estes Park

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Estes Park weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 11°1.16.77.69.40.0
Feb32° / 11°1.38.1910.40.0
Mar39° / 17°2.09.69.111.70.0
Apr44° / 22°3.413.510.2130.7
May54° / 31°4.618.65.114.22.7
Jun66° / 40°4.217.50.614.85.0
Jul72° / 46°5.720014.65.3
Aug70° / 45°4.920013.65.2
Sep63° / 37°3.013.31.112.35.1
Oct51° / 27°2.08.95.610.92.6
Nov39° / 18°1.26.26.39.80.1
Dec31° / 10°1.16.37.29.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44456
54456
64456
74555
84555
94555
104456
114456
124456
134357
144357
154357
164357
174258
184258
194159
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254258
264357
274456
284555
294555
304753
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Estes Park gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 18.6 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 60% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15330
25329
35428
45427
55426
65425
75524
85523
95522
105621
115620
125719
135819
145918
155918
166017
176116
186115
196214
206214
216313
226412
236411
246511
256510
26659
27658
28658
29657
30646
31646

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 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:08 AM to 4:40 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:086:50
213.75:076:51
313.85:066:52
413.85:056:53
513.85:036:54
613.95:026:55
713.95:016:56
814.05:006:57
914.04:596:58
1014.04:586:59
1114.14:567:00
1214.14:557:01
1314.14:547:02
1414.24:537:03
1514.24:527:04
1614.24:517:05
1714.34:507:06
1814.34:497:07
1914.34:497:08
2014.44:487:09
2114.44:477:10
2214.44:467:11
2314.44:457:12
2414.54:457:13
2514.54:447:14
2614.54:437:15
2714.54:437:15
2814.64:427:16
2914.64:417:17
3014.64:417:18
3114.64:407:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 7.61 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.14 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.1Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Estes Park

In seasonPeak

In May, Estes Park sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Estes Park's rainy season runs April–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Estes Park?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Estes Park.

What to pack for Estes Park in May

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

In May, Estes Park sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 31°F. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Estes Park 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 Estes Park peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Estes Park 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 Estes Park is worst in October — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.7× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorGoodOct 1447 µg/m³Jan 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May8Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug33Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct51Poor
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Estes Park?

Estes Park sits at 40.4°N, 105.5°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Loveland, 24 mi away.

Topography around Estes Park

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Estes Park has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,450 ft around an average of 7,825 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,995 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,531 ft.

The land around Estes Park is covered by trees (54%) and grassland (32%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and trees (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,450 ft
10 miles
7,995 ft
50 miles
9,531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Loveland 24 mi · Longmont 27 mi · Fort Collins 27 mi · Boulder 29 mi · Windsor 34 mi · Erie 34 mi · Louisville 34 mi · Lafayette 35 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 Estes Park (40.3772°, -105.5217°, elevation 0 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).