Fort Dodge weather in May

In May, Fort Dodge sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 5.4 in of precipitation across 13.3 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 66°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 Fort Dodge's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Dodge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.4 in
13.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:01 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Fort Dodge is city and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States.

Density
584/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 66°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Fort Dodge reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 82°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)
16545
26545
36546
46646
56647
66747
76747
86748
96848
106849
116949
126949
136950
147050
157050
167051
177151
187151
197152
207252
217253
227253
237353
247354
257354
267355
277455
287455
297456
307556
317556

How May really feels in Fort Dodge

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.

Fort Dodge 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
Jan27° / 11°1.15.75.39.20.0
Feb32° / 15°1.36.1510.30.0
Mar46° / 27°2.48.23.411.61.3
Apr59° / 39°4.411.31.513.14.4
May70° / 51°5.413.30.114.46.0
Jun79° / 61°5.512.6015.16.2
Jul82° / 65°3.710.1014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°4.29.6013.76.8
Sep74° / 53°3.48.3012.37.2
Oct61° / 41°2.67.80.510.85.4
Nov46° / 28°1.96.32.69.61.3
Dec32° / 17°1.564.78.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
33961
43961
53862
63961
73961
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134159
144159
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204357
214258
224357
234357
244258
254357
264258
274258
284159
294258
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Fort Dodge gets around 5.4 in of rain and snow over 13.3 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 42% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1412
2421
3421
4431
5431
6431
7431
8431
9421
10420
11410
12400
13400
14390
15390
16390
17390
18400
19400
20410
21410
22420
23430
24440
25450
26460
27460
28470
29470
30470
31470

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 (%)
193520
292620
390730
490730
588840
687940
786950
8841051
9821161
10821161
11801271
12801271
13781381
14781381
15771481
16751492
17741592
187315102
197215103
207016113
216916114
226717124
236617125
246518125
256318136
266219136
276119137
285920147
295820148
305521159
315422159

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

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 5:19 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:197:09
213.95:187:10
313.95:167:11
414.05:157:12
514.05:147:13
614.05:127:14
714.15:117:15
814.15:107:17
914.25:087:18
1014.25:077:19
1114.25:067:20
1214.35:057:21
1314.35:047:22
1414.35:037:23
1514.45:027:24
1614.45:017:25
1714.45:007:26
1814.54:597:27
1914.54:587:28
2014.54:577:29
2114.64:567:30
2214.64:557:31
2314.64:547:32
2414.74:537:33
2514.74:527:34
2614.74:527:35
2714.84:517:36
2814.84:507:37
2914.84:507:38
3014.84:497:39
3114.94:497:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Fort Dodge

In seasonPeak

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

Fort Dodge's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Fort Dodge?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Fort Dodge for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fort Dodge in May

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

In May, Fort Dodge sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Dodge?

Fort Dodge sits at 42.5°N, 94.2°W, 1,115 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ames, 42 mi away.

Topography around Fort Dodge

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Dodge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 1,099 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft.

The land around Fort Dodge is covered by trees (37%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (90%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
226 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
617 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Ames 42 mi · Ankeny 60 mi · Johnston 62 mi · Waukee 63 mi · Urbandale 65 mi · Clive 66 mi · Mason City 66 mi · West Des Moines 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 Fort Dodge (42.4975°, -94.168°, elevation 1,115 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).