Jamestown weather in May

In May, Jamestown sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 70°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Jamestown's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jamestown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
5th warmest
Overnight low
44°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
5:06 AM – 7:56 PM
Cloud cover
62%
6th clearest
Wind
10 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Jamestown is seat of Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States.

Density
462/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 60°F in the first days to 70°F by the end.

A typical May day in Jamestown reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 14°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15938
25938
36038
46039
56139
66140
76140
86241
96241
106342
116342
126442
136443
146443
156544
166544
176645
186645
196746
206746
216746
226847
236847
246848
256948
266949
276949
287049
297050
307050
317151

How May really feels in Jamestown

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

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

Jamestown 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
Jan18° / 0.74.75.28.80.0
Feb22° / 0.74.84.9100.0
Mar34° / 18°1.25.84.111.60.0
Apr51° / 31°1.87.82.713.32.6
May65° / 44°3.210.80.414.85.7
Jun74° / 55°4.511.6015.66.5
Jul79° / 59°3.69.7015.37.0
Aug78° / 56°2.98.50147.3
Sep69° / 47°2.57.4012.46.9
Oct54° / 35°2.16.91.310.63.5
Nov37° / 20°1.04.94.19.20.1
Dec23° / 0.95.15.48.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34258
44357
54357
64357
74357
84357
94357
104357
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164456
174456
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234258
244258
254258
264159
274159
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Jamestown gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow 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 precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1324
2334
3344
4344
5353
6353
7353
8353
9353
10353
11353
12352
13352
14352
15342
16342
17342
18331
19331
20331
21341
22341
23340
24350
25350
26360
27360
28370
29370
30370
31370

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 92% 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
79811
89721
99721
109721
119631
129631
139541
149541
159451
169451
179262
189172
199172
209082
218992
2288102
2388102
2487112
2586122
2685132
2784142
2884142
2982153
3081163
3181163

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
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:28 AM to 4:51 AM, and sunset from 7:36 PM to 8:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:287:36
214.25:267:38
314.25:257:39
414.35:237:40
514.35:217:42
614.45:207:43
714.45:187:44
814.55:177:46
914.55:157:47
1014.65:147:48
1114.65:137:50
1214.75:117:51
1314.75:107:52
1414.75:097:54
1514.85:077:55
1614.85:067:56
1714.95:057:57
1814.95:047:59
1915.05:038:00
2015.05:018:01
2115.05:008:02
2215.14:598:03
2315.14:588:04
2415.14:578:06
2515.24:568:07
2615.24:558:08
2715.24:558:09
2815.34:548:10
2915.34:538:11
3015.34:528:12
3115.44:518:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.83 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Jamestown

In seasonPeak

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

Jamestown's rainy season runs May–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 Jamestown?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Jamestown for sightseeing.

What to pack for Jamestown in May

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

In May, Jamestown sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Jamestown in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Jamestown peaks around June 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Jamestown 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 Jamestown is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1215 µg/m³Oct 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct5Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jamestown?

Jamestown sits at 46.9°N, 98.7°W, 1,407 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Fargo, 85 mi away.

Topography around Jamestown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jamestown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 1,457 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,135 ft.

The land around Jamestown is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, cropland (66%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) and grassland (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
259 ft
50 miles
1,135 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: West Fargo 85 mi · Fargo 91 mi · Moorhead 91 mi · Bismarck 98 mi · Aberdeen 101 mi · Mandan 103 mi · Grand Forks 105 mi · Minot 151 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 Jamestown (46.9105°, -98.7084°, elevation 1,407 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).