Gloucester weather in May

In May, Gloucester sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.9 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 52°F in the first days to 59°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 Gloucester's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gloucester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
6th warmest
Overnight low
49°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.9 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:26 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
11 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Gloucester is city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States.

Density
277/km²
people per km²
Founded
1623

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 52°F in the first days to 59°F by the end.

A typical May day in Gloucester reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 6°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 63°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15145
25246
35246
45246
55246
65347
75347
85347
95347
105448
115448
125448
135448
145549
155549
165549
175649
185650
195650
205650
215751
225751
235851
245852
255852
265952
275953
285953
296053
306054
316054

How May really feels in Gloucester

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.

Gloucester weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 26°4.310.75.89.20.0
Feb37° / 27°3.89.5510.30.0
Mar40° / 32°5.211.54.411.60.1
Apr47° / 41°4.811.21.113.11.5
May55° / 49°3.910.8014.43.6
Jun64° / 59°3.79.5015.15.8
Jul70° / 65°2.78.6014.86.8
Aug70° / 65°3.27.9013.76.9
Sep65° / 60°3.88.2012.36.3
Oct57° / 51°5.210.50.110.84.2
Nov49° / 42°4.610.40.69.62.0
Dec41° / 33°5.411.43.88.90.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34258
44258
54258
64258
74159
84159
94159
104060
114060
124159
134159
144159
154258
164159
174258
184258
194258
204258
214357
224456
234456
244456
254555
264555
274555
284654
294555
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gloucester gets around 3.9 in of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
337
437
537
637
736
836
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1436
1536
1636
1736
1835
1935
2035
2134
2234
2333
2433
2532
2632
2732
2831
2931
3031
3131

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129820
139820
149820
159730
169730
179640
189550
199361
209271
219181
229091
2388102
2487112
2584133
2683143
2782153
2880164
2979174
3078184
3176204

Wind in May

Winds average 11 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 12 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light 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 4:45 AM to 4:14 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:456:35
213.94:436:36
313.94:426:37
414.04:416:38
514.04:396:39
614.04:386:41
714.14:376:42
814.14:356:43
914.24:346:44
1014.24:336:45
1114.24:326:46
1214.34:316:47
1314.34:296:48
1414.44:286:49
1514.44:276:51
1614.44:266:52
1714.54:256:53
1814.54:246:54
1914.54:236:55
2014.64:226:56
2114.64:216:57
2214.64:216:58
2314.74:206:59
2414.74:197:00
2514.74:187:01
2614.74:177:02
2714.84:177:02
2814.84:167:03
2914.84:157:04
3014.84:157:05
3114.94:147:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.65 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gloucester

In seasonPeak

None of Gloucester's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Gloucester sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Gloucester?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gloucester.

What to pack for Gloucester in May

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

In May, Gloucester sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Gloucester in May

The nearest coast averages about 49°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 39°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Gloucester 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 Gloucester peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Gloucester?

Gloucester sits at 42.6°N, 70.7°W, 52 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Beverly Cove, 11 mi away.

Topography around Gloucester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gloucester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,230 ft.

The land around Gloucester is covered by trees (45%) and water (31%) within 2 miles, water (74%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and water (45%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
240 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
1,230 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Beverly Cove 11 mi · Beverly 12 mi · Marblehead 12 mi · Salem 14 mi · Danvers 14 mi · Peabody 15 mi · South Peabody 16 mi · Newburyport 17 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 Gloucester (42.614°, -70.6631°, elevation 52 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).