Minot weather in May

In May, Minot sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 3.0 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 69°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Minot's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Minot's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
43°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.0 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
5:12 AM – 8:11 PM
Cloud cover
62%
6th clearest
Wind
10 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Minot is seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States.

Density
709/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 59°F in the first days to 69°F by the end.

A typical May day in Minot reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 14°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15937
25937
36038
46038
56038
66139
76139
86140
96240
106240
116341
126341
136442
146442
156442
166543
176543
186544
196644
206645
216645
226746
236746
246746
256847
266847
276847
286848
296948
306949
316949

How May really feels in Minot

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 5 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
5
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Minot weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 0.755.48.60.0
Feb22° / 0.74.259.90.0
Mar35° / 18°1.05.34.311.60.0
Apr51° / 31°1.77.73.113.42.6
May64° / 43°3.010.40.814.95.6
Jun73° / 53°4.111.4015.86.5
Jul78° / 58°3.09.3015.57.1
Aug78° / 55°2.17.7014.17.4
Sep69° / 46°2.06.6012.47.0
Oct53° / 34°1.66.41.610.63.4
Nov36° / 20°1.05.14.490.1
Dec23° / 0.85.66.38.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44357
54357
64357
74456
84456
94456
104456
114456
124456
134456
144357
154456
164456
174456
184456
194456
204357
214357
224456
234456
244456
254357
264456
274456
284555
294555
304555
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Minot gets around 3.0 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1306
2316
3315
4325
5325
6325
7325
8334
9334
10334
11334
12333
13333
14333
15333
16332
17332
18332
19332
20331
21331
22341
23341
24351
25351
26361
27361
28370
29370
30370
31370

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119820
129820
139820
149730
159730
169640
179640
189640
199550
209451
219361
229361
239271
249271
259181
269181
279091
289091
2989101
3089101
3187112

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light 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
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:35 AM to 4:57 AM, and sunset from 7:50 PM to 8:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:357:50
214.35:337:51
314.35:327:53
414.45:307:54
514.55:287:55
614.55:277:57
714.65:257:58
814.65:248:00
914.75:228:01
1014.75:218:03
1114.75:198:04
1214.85:188:05
1314.85:168:07
1414.95:158:08
1514.95:148:09
1615.05:128:11
1715.05:118:12
1815.15:108:13
1915.15:088:15
2015.15:078:16
2115.25:068:17
2215.25:058:18
2315.35:048:20
2415.35:038:21
2515.35:028:22
2615.45:018:23
2715.45:008:24
2815.44:598:25
2915.54:588:26
3015.54:578:27
3115.54:578:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.93 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Minot

In seasonPeak

In May, Minot sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Minot's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Minot?

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
2.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Minot for sightseeing.

What to pack for Minot in May

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

In May, Minot sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Minot in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Minot peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Minot 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 Minot is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodAug 1216 µg/m³Oct 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Minot?

Minot sits at 48.2°N, 101.3°W, 1,621 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 99 mi away.

Topography around Minot

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Minot has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 1,644 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,007 ft.

The land around Minot is covered by artificial surfaces (46%), grassland (28%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (64%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (61%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
1,007 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Mandan 99 mi · Bismarck 101 mi · Williston 107 mi · Dickinson 117 mi · Brandon 127 mi · Jamestown 151 mi · Grand Forks 198 mi · Arcola East 211 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 Minot (48.2325°, -101.2963°, elevation 1,621 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).