Madison weather in May

In May, Madison sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Madison's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
6th warmest
Overnight low
51°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:37 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
62%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Madison is town in Connecticut, United States.

Founded
1826

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 56°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical May day in Madison reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15647
25647
35648
45648
55748
65749
75749
85849
95849
105850
115850
125950
135951
145951
156051
166051
176052
186052
196152
206153
216253
226253
236254
246354
256354
266355
276455
286455
296456
306556
316556

How May really feels in Madison

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.

Madison weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 28°3.910.24.69.40.0
Feb38° / 28°3.58.94.110.30.0
Mar43° / 34°4.810.53.411.70.5
Apr51° / 42°4.211.10.513.12.5
May60° / 51°3.510.8014.34.7
Jun70° / 61°3.79.5014.96.5
Jul76° / 68°3.19.1014.77.1
Aug76° / 68°3.99.3013.77.2
Sep71° / 63°4.18.8012.36.9
Oct62° / 53°4.89.90.110.95.3
Nov52° / 43°4.19.10.59.72.8
Dec43° / 34°5.011.12.99.10.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54555
64555
74456
84456
94555
104555
114555
124456
134456
144456
154456
164456
174456
184456
194456
204555
214555
224654
234654
244654
254555
264555
274654
284654
294654
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Madison gets around 3.5 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 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
335
435
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2035
2135
2235
2334
2434
2534
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
298200
397300
497300
596400
696400
795500
895500
994600
1094600
1193700
1291810
1391810
1490910
15891010
16871120
17861220
18851320
19831430
20801640
21781750
22771850
23751960
24732070
25692290
266723100
276424111
286225121
296026131
305827141
315628151

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light 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
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

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 4:55 AM to 4:26 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:556:40
213.84:546:41
313.84:526:42
413.94:516:43
513.94:506:44
613.94:496:45
714.04:476:47
814.04:466:48
914.14:456:49
1014.14:446:50
1114.14:436:51
1214.24:426:52
1314.24:406:53
1414.24:396:54
1514.34:386:55
1614.34:376:56
1714.34:366:57
1814.44:356:58
1914.44:356:59
2014.44:347:00
2114.54:337:01
2214.54:327:02
2314.54:317:03
2414.64:307:04
2514.64:307:04
2614.64:297:05
2714.64:287:06
2814.74:287:07
2914.74:277:08
3014.74:277:09
3114.74:267:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.84 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
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Madison

In seasonPeak

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

Madison 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 Madison?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Madison for sightseeing.

What to pack for Madison in May

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

In May, Madison sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Madison in May

The nearest coast averages about 53°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 11 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 8 to Sep 25 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan40Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May53Bracing
Jun63Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec47Bracing

UV index in Madison 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 Madison peaks around July 10 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 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Madison 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 Madison is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1120 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 41.3°N, 72.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Guilford, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Madison

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madison has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 46 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 653 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,503 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by trees (55%) and water (30%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (45%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
653 ft
50 miles
1,503 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Guilford 4.3 mi · Branford 11 mi · East Haven 14 mi · North Haven 16 mi · Wallingford Center 16 mi · Wallingford 17 mi · New Haven 17 mi · Hamden 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 Madison (41.2795°, -72.5984°, elevation 23 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).