Keene weather in May

In May, Keene sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 70°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Keene's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Keene's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
5th warmest
Overnight low
46°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:32 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
67%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Keene is city in New Hampshire, United States.

Density
240/km²
people per km²
Founded
1736

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 61°F in the first days to 70°F by the end.

A typical May day in Keene reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16042
26142
36142
46143
56243
66243
76244
86344
96344
106344
116445
126445
136445
146546
156546
166546
176646
186647
196647
206747
216748
226848
236848
246849
256949
266949
276950
287050
297051
307051
317151

How May really feels in Keene

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.

Keene weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 14°3.19.57.19.20.0
Feb33° / 15°2.98.7710.20.0
Mar41° / 24°3.710.76.211.60.3
Apr54° / 36°3.6112.413.13.2
May65° / 46°3.111.30.114.45.6
Jun75° / 55°3.411.9015.16.4
Jul80° / 61°3.310014.86.5
Aug78° / 59°3.29.5013.86.8
Sep71° / 51°3.48.6012.36.7
Oct58° / 40°4.09.60.510.84.3
Nov46° / 31°3.39.62.59.51.1
Dec35° / 21°4.010.16.28.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43664
53664
63664
73664
83763
93763
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223862
233862
243961
253961
264060
274159
284060
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Keene gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 11.3 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 36% 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 (%)
1363
2363
3352
4352
5351
6351
7351
8351
9351
10361
11361
12360
13360
14360
15360
16370
17370
18370
19370
20370
21370
22370
23370
24370
25370
26370
27370
28370
29360
30360
31360

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196310
296310
395410
495410
595410
694510
794510
894510
994510
1094510
1194510
1293520
1392620
1492620
1592620
1692620
1791630
1890730
1990730
2088840
2187940
2286950
23851050
24831160
25811261
26811261
27801361
28781471
29771571
30771571
31751681

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 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 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:51 AM to 4:20 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:516:42
213.94:496:43
313.94:486:44
414.04:466:45
514.04:456:47
614.14:446:48
714.14:426:49
814.14:416:50
914.24:406:51
1014.24:396:52
1114.34:376:53
1214.34:366:55
1314.34:356:56
1414.44:346:57
1514.44:336:58
1614.54:326:59
1714.54:317:00
1814.54:307:01
1914.64:297:02
2014.64:287:03
2114.64:277:04
2214.74:267:05
2314.74:257:06
2414.74:247:07
2514.74:247:08
2614.84:237:09
2714.84:227:10
2814.84:217:11
2914.84:217:12
3014.94:207:13
3114.94:207:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.45 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Keene?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Keene for sightseeing.

What to pack for Keene in May

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

In May, Keene sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Keene 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 Keene peaks around July 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 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 7Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Keene?

Keene sits at 42.9°N, 72.3°W, 486 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gardner, 29 mi away.

Topography around Keene

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Keene has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 610 ft around an average of 600 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,910 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,855 ft.

The land around Keene is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (91%) within 10 miles, and trees (93%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
610 ft
10 miles
2,910 ft
50 miles
3,855 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Gardner 29 mi · Greenfield 29 mi · Fitchburg 34 mi · Bedford 39 mi · Leominster 39 mi · Merrimack 40 mi · Amherst Center 40 mi · Amherst 41 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 Keene (42.9337°, -72.2781°, elevation 486 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).