Kingston weather in May

In May, Kingston sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 12.2 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 72°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kingston's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kingston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
12.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:41 AM – 7:03 PM
Cloud cover
66%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Kingston is city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States.

Density
1,031/km²
people per km²

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 64°F in the first days to 72°F by the end.

A typical May day in Kingston reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16345
26445
36445
46446
56546
66546
76547
86547
96647
106647
116648
126748
136748
146748
156749
166849
176849
186850
196950
206950
216951
227051
237051
247152
257152
267153
277253
287253
297254
307354
317354

How May really feels in Kingston

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.

Kingston weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°3.596.19.30.0
Feb36° / 20°2.98.45.710.30.0
Mar45° / 28°4.210.54.811.71.0
Apr58° / 39°4.010.91.313.14.1
May68° / 49°3.912.20.114.35.9
Jun77° / 58°4.312.50156.3
Jul82° / 64°3.811.4014.76.2
Aug80° / 62°4.010.7013.76.5
Sep73° / 55°4.39012.36.9
Oct60° / 44°4.79.30.310.95.0
Nov49° / 34°3.691.69.61.9
Dec38° / 25°4.210.15.690.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
43961
54060
64060
73961
83961
93961
103961
113862
123862
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
254060
264159
274159
284159
294060
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kingston gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
538
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1439
1539
1639
1740
1840
1940
2040
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193520
292620
392620
491720
591720
689830
788930
888930
9871030
10861130
11861130
12841240
13841240
14831340
15821350
16821350
17791461
18781471
19771481
20761581
21741592
227315102
237016113
246916123
256916123
266617134
276517144
286418144
296219145
306120145
315920156

Wind in May

Winds average 5 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
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 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 4:59 AM to 4:30 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:596:47
213.84:586:48
313.94:576:49
413.94:556:50
514.04:546:51
614.04:536:52
714.04:526:54
814.14:506:55
914.14:496:56
1014.14:486:57
1114.24:476:58
1214.24:466:59
1314.34:457:00
1414.34:437:01
1514.34:427:02
1614.44:417:03
1714.44:407:04
1814.44:397:05
1914.54:387:06
2014.54:387:07
2114.54:377:08
2214.64:367:09
2314.64:357:10
2414.64:347:11
2514.64:337:12
2614.74:337:13
2714.74:327:14
2814.74:317:15
2914.74:317:15
3014.84:307:16
3114.84:307:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 5.96 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kingston

In seasonPeak

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

Kingston 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 Kingston?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kingston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kingston in May

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

In May, Kingston sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Kingston 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 Kingston peaks around July 11 at about 8 (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 11UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kingston?

Kingston sits at 41.9°N, 74.0°W, 197 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Poughkeepsie, 16 mi away.

Topography around Kingston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kingston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 463 ft around an average of 177 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,417 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,370 ft.

The land around Kingston is covered by trees (62%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (88%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
463 ft
10 miles
1,417 ft
50 miles
4,370 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Poughkeepsie 16 mi · Newburgh 29 mi · Middletown 40 mi · Kiryas Joel 42 mi · Peekskill 44 mi · West Torrington 45 mi · Cortlandt Manor 45 mi · Torrington 46 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 Kingston (41.927°, -73.9974°, elevation 197 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). 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).