Frederick weather in May

In May, Frederick sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 77°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Frederick's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Frederick's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:01 AM – 7:11 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Frederick is city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States.

Density
1,156/km²
people per km²
Founded
1745

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 69°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical May day in Frederick reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16950
26950
36950
47051
57051
67051
77051
87152
97152
107152
117153
127253
137253
147253
157254
167354
177354
187355
197455
207455
217456
227556
237556
247657
257657
267658
277758
287758
297758
307859
317859

How May really feels in Frederick

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.

Frederick 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
Jan40° / 26°3.18.73.39.50.0
Feb43° / 27°2.78.53.610.50.6
Mar52° / 35°3.810.22.511.72.8
Apr64° / 45°3.510.20.2135.6
May73° / 54°3.711.8014.16.4
Jun82° / 64°3.410.8014.75.8
Jul87° / 68°3.610.5014.54.8
Aug85° / 67°3.09.9013.55.4
Sep78° / 59°4.29.2012.36.9
Oct66° / 47°3.47.90116.3
Nov54° / 37°3.07.90.49.83.4
Dec44° / 30°3.48.82.29.30.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34555
44456
54456
64456
74456
84456
94456
104456
114357
124357
134258
144357
154258
164258
174159
184159
194060
204060
214060
224060
234060
244159
254258
264258
274258
284258
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Frederick gets around 3.7 in of rain over 11.8 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 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1139
1239
1339
1438
1537
1637
1737
1836
1936
2036
2136
2236
2336
2436
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17816510
27717510
37617610
47418710
57319710
67219810
77119910
87020910
969201010
1068201020
1167201120
1267201120
1366191230
1465191240
1564191340
1663191350
1763181450
1861181560
1960181570
2058181680
2156181790
22551817100
23531818110
24521819110
25501919120
26481920130
27471920130
28462020141
29452020141
30442120151
31432120151

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:18 AM to 4:51 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:186:56
213.75:166:57
313.75:156:58
413.75:146:59
513.85:137:00
613.85:127:01
713.95:107:02
813.95:097:03
913.95:087:04
1014.05:077:05
1114.05:067:06
1214.05:057:07
1314.15:047:08
1414.15:037:09
1514.15:027:10
1614.25:017:11
1714.25:007:12
1814.24:597:12
1914.24:597:13
2014.34:587:14
2114.34:577:15
2214.34:567:16
2314.44:557:17
2414.44:557:18
2514.44:547:19
2614.44:537:19
2714.54:537:20
2814.54:527:21
2914.54:527:22
3014.54:517:23
3114.54:517:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.69 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Frederick?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Frederick for sightseeing.

What to pack for Frederick in May

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

In May, Frederick sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Frederick in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Frederick peaks around July 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Frederick 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 Frederick is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Frederick?

Frederick sits at 39.4°N, 77.4°W, 285 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ballenger Creek, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Frederick

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Frederick has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 482 ft around an average of 312 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,791 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,756 ft.

The land around Frederick is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), trees (28%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (47%), grassland (25%) and cropland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (59%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
482 ft
10 miles
1,791 ft
50 miles
2,756 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Ballenger Creek 3.1 mi · Damascus 14 mi · Germantown 18 mi · Montgomery Village 20 mi · Gaithersburg 22 mi · Leesburg 22 mi · Hagerstown 23 mi · Redland 24 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 Frederick (39.4143°, -77.4105°, elevation 285 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).