Great Kills weather in May

In May, Great Kills sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 11.1 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 75°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 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Great Kills's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Great Kills's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:45 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

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 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Great Kills reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16651
26651
36651
46652
56752
66752
76753
86753
96853
106853
116854
126954
136954
146954
156955
167055
177055
187156
197156
207156
217256
227257
237357
247358
257358
267458
277459
287459
297560
307560
317560

How May really feels in Great Kills

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.

Great Kills weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 27°3.29.23.99.40.0
Feb42° / 28°3.08.53.410.40.3
Mar49° / 35°4.210.42.811.72.0
Apr61° / 46°3.610.60.3134.8
May70° / 55°3.411.1014.26.3
Jun79° / 65°4.011.1014.86.3
Jul84° / 71°4.111.3014.65.2
Aug82° / 69°4.110.6013.66.0
Sep76° / 62°3.79.2012.37.0
Oct65° / 51°3.78.5010.96.0
Nov53° / 40°3.07.80.39.73.3
Dec44° / 32°3.99.529.20.8

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34357
44258
54258
64258
74258
84258
94357
104258
114258
124258
134159
144159
154357
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244357
254357
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Great Kills gets around 3.4 in of rain over 11.1 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 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
536
636
736
836
936
1036
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1634
1734
1834
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2436
2536
2636
2736
2837
2937
3037
3137

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 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18710300
28710300
38511400
48412400
58412400
68213500
78213500
88114500
97815610
107815610
117715710
127616710
137516810
147516810
157217920
167217920
1769181030
1867191130
1965191240
2064201240
2162201350
2259211460
2357211570
2456211670
2554211780
2650221891
2749221991
28482220101
29462220111
30452221111
31432222121

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
17light breeze
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 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:03 AM to 4:34 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:036:45
213.75:016:46
313.85:006:47
413.84:596:48
513.94:586:49
613.94:566:50
713.94:556:51
814.04:546:52
914.04:536:53
1014.04:526:54
1114.14:516:55
1214.14:496:56
1314.14:486:57
1414.24:476:58
1514.24:466:59
1614.24:457:00
1714.34:447:01
1814.34:447:02
1914.34:437:03
2014.44:427:04
2114.44:417:05
2214.44:407:06
2314.54:397:07
2414.54:397:08
2514.54:387:09
2614.54:377:10
2714.64:377:10
2814.64:367:11
2914.64:357:12
3014.64:357:13
3114.74:347:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.54 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Great Kills

In seasonPeak

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

Great Kills 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 Great Kills?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Great Kills for sightseeing.

What to pack for Great Kills in May

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

In May, Great Kills sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Great Kills in May

The nearest coast averages about 55°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 40°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 26 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar41Bracing
Apr46Bracing
May55Bracing
Jun65Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug74Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in Great Kills 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 Great Kills peaks around July 12 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Great Kills 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 Great Kills is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 1410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Great Kills?

Great Kills sits at 40.6°N, 74.2°W, 56 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Staten Island, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Great Kills

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Great Kills has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 463 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,755 ft.

The land around Great Kills is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, water (42%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%) and water (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
463 ft
50 miles
1,755 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Staten Island 0.6 mi · Woodrow 2.5 mi · New Springville 2.5 mi · Rossville 3.1 mi · Carteret 4.3 mi · Emerson Hill 5.0 mi · Graniteville 5.0 mi · Port Richmond 5.6 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 Great Kills (40.5543°, -74.1515°, elevation 56 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. 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).