McAlester weather in May

In May, McAlester sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 5.3 in of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is McAlester's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see McAlester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.3 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:25 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

McAlester is city in Oklahoma, United States.

Density
439/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 75°F in the first days to 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in McAlester reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17557
27557
37558
47658
57658
67659
77659
87759
97760
107760
117860
127861
137861
147862
157962
167962
177962
188063
198063
208064
218164
228164
238165
248265
258265
268265
278266
288366
298366
308367
318367

How May really feels in McAlester

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.

McAlester weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 33°2.46.619.92.6
Feb55° / 37°2.46.80.910.73.8
Mar64° / 45°4.0100.511.75.7
Apr72° / 53°4.79.7012.96.7
May79° / 62°5.311.8013.86.4
Jun87° / 71°3.58.8014.34.8
Jul92° / 74°2.57.3014.13.6
Aug92° / 73°2.27013.33.8
Sep84° / 66°3.37.4012.26.0
Oct74° / 55°3.67.8011.17.4
Nov62° / 44°3.17.10.310.25.7
Dec52° / 36°2.970.69.73.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
35050
44951
54951
64951
74951
84852
94951
104951
114951
125050
135050
145149
155050
165149
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
264951
275050
285149
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

McAlester gets around 5.3 in of rain over 11.8 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
338
438
539
639
740
840
940
1040
1140
1239
1339
1439
1539
1638
1738
1837
1937
2037
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2636
2736
2836
2935
3035
3134

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 34% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1521720101
2491821111
3471822131
4451822141
5431823151
6411823161
7391824181
8371824191
9361825201
10341825221
11331825232
12311825242
13301825252
14281825272
15271825282
16261825302
17241824312
18231824332
19211724353
20201723373
21181723393
22161723404
23151723424
24131622445
25121622455
26101522466
2791522477
2881522487
2971422498
3061422509
31513215110

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
297light breeze
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 7:02 PM to 7:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:397:02
213.45:387:03
313.55:367:04
413.55:357:04
513.55:347:05
613.55:337:06
713.65:327:07
813.65:317:08
913.65:317:08
1013.75:307:09
1113.75:297:10
1213.75:287:11
1313.75:277:12
1413.85:267:13
1513.85:257:13
1613.85:257:14
1713.95:247:15
1813.95:237:16
1913.95:227:16
2013.95:227:17
2113.95:217:18
2214.05:207:19
2314.05:207:19
2414.05:197:20
2514.05:197:21
2614.15:187:22
2714.15:187:22
2814.15:177:23
2914.15:177:24
3014.15:167:24
3114.25:167:25

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.7 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit McAlester?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit McAlester for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for McAlester in May

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

In May, McAlester sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 62°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in McAlester in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in McAlester peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in McAlester 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 McAlester is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (November, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJul 1717 µg/m³Nov 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr10Good
May12Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is McAlester?

McAlester sits at 34.9°N, 95.8°W, 735 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ada, 53 mi away.

Topography around McAlester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around McAlester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 719 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,713 ft.

The land around McAlester is covered by trees (38%), grassland (33%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (47%) and grassland (44%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
420 ft
50 miles
1,713 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Ada 53 mi · Muskogee 61 mi · Bixby 70 mi · Shawnee 71 mi · Durant 73 mi · Jenks 76 mi · Sapulpa 76 mi · Broken Arrow 77 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 McAlester (34.9334°, -95.7697°, elevation 735 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).