Middletown weather in May

In May, Middletown sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Middletown's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Middletown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
58°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:54 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
62%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Middletown is town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States.

Density
674/km²
people per km²
Founded
1861

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 69°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Middletown reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16853
26854
36954
46954
56955
66955
77055
87055
97056
107056
117156
127156
137157
147157
157257
167257
177258
187358
197358
207359
217459
227460
237460
247560
257561
267561
277662
287662
297662
307762
317763

How May really feels in Middletown

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.

Middletown weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 29°3.18.839.50.1
Feb43° / 30°2.98.9310.40.6
Mar52° / 38°4.010.31.811.72.7
Apr63° / 48°3.510.20.2135.5
May72° / 58°3.310.3014.16.6
Jun81° / 67°3.610.8014.76.1
Jul85° / 72°3.611.1014.55.2
Aug83° / 71°3.79.9013.55.9
Sep77° / 64°4.19.1012.37.0
Oct66° / 52°3.57.90116.3
Nov55° / 42°2.97.90.29.83.6
Dec46° / 34°3.78.91.69.31.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34555
44555
54555
64555
74555
84456
94456
104456
114456
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224654
234654
244654
254654
264654
274654
284753
294753
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Middletown gets around 3.3 in of rain over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
433
533
633
733
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2633
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17716610
27516720
37317820
47317820
57118920
67018930
768191030
868191030
966191140
1066191140
1164191250
1263191260
1363191260
1460201370
1559201380
1658201480
1757201490
18552015100
19542015101
20522016111
21502117121
22482117131
23462118142
24442118152
25422119162
26402219162
27392220173
28372220183
29352321183
30342321193
31322321203

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
87light breeze
97light breeze
107light breeze
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:11 AM to 4:44 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:116:49
213.75:106:50
313.75:086:51
413.85:076:52
513.85:066:53
613.85:056:54
713.95:046:55
813.95:036:56
913.95:016:57
1014.05:006:58
1114.04:596:59
1214.04:587:00
1314.14:577:01
1414.14:567:02
1514.14:557:03
1614.24:547:04
1714.24:537:05
1814.24:537:06
1914.24:527:07
2014.34:517:08
2114.34:507:08
2214.34:497:09
2314.44:497:10
2414.44:487:11
2514.44:477:12
2614.44:477:13
2714.54:467:14
2814.54:457:14
2914.54:457:15
3014.54:447:16
3114.54:447:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Middletown

In seasonPeak

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

Middletown 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 Middletown?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Middletown for sightseeing.

What to pack for Middletown in May

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

In May, Middletown sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 58°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Middletown in May

The nearest coast averages about 58°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 29 mi away) is warmest in August at about 76°F and coldest in February near 37°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 19 to Oct 3 — about 3.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar41Bracing
Apr49Bracing
May58Bracing
Jun67Cool
Jul74Refreshing
Aug76Warm
Sep73Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov53Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index in Middletown 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 Middletown peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Middletown 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 Middletown is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Middletown?

Middletown sits at 39.4°N, 75.7°W, 69 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Elkton, 12 mi away.

Topography around Middletown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Middletown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 59 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,385 ft.

The land around Middletown is covered by grassland (38%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, trees (36%) and cropland (28%) within 10 miles, and trees (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
190 ft
50 miles
1,385 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Elkton 12 mi · Bear 13 mi · Newark 16 mi · Wilmington 22 mi · Dover 22 mi · Aberdeen 24 mi · Bridgeton 25 mi · Edgewood 31 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 Middletown (39.4496°, -75.7163°, elevation 69 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).