Missoula weather in May

In May, Missoula sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 2.2 in of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Missoula's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Missoula's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 62°; 5th warmest
Overnight low: 39°; 8th coldest
Precipitation: 2.2 in; 11.1 wet days
Daylight: 14 h 48 min; 5:07 AM – 7:57 PM
Cloud cover: 65%; 6th clearest
Wind: 4 mph; 2nd windiest
Solar energy: 6.37 kWh/m²
Travel score: 5.2; out of 10

Missoula is county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States.

Density: 933/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1866

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← April Missoula year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical May day in Missoula reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	57	58	58	58	59	59	60	60	60	61	61	62	62	62	63	63	63	63	64	64	64	64	65	65	65	65	66	66	66	66	66
Avg low (°F)	34	35	35	35	36	36	36	37	37	37	38	38	38	39	39	39	40	40	40	41	41	41	41	42	42	42	42	43	43	43	43

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	57	34
2	58	35
3	58	35
4	58	35
5	59	36
6	59	36
7	60	36
8	60	37
9	60	37
10	61	37
11	61	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	39
15	63	39
16	63	39
17	63	40
18	63	40
19	64	40
20	64	41
21	64	41
22	64	41
23	65	41
24	65	42
25	65	42
26	65	42
27	66	42
28	66	43
29	66	43
30	66	43
31	66	43

How May really feels in Missoula

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 4 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

wind chill below the day's low

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

Missoula 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.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	32° / 17°	1.8	10.8	11.1	8.8	0.0
Feb	36° / 19°	1.6	9.9	9.3	10	0.0
Mar	44° / 25°	1.7	11	7.3	11.6	0.8
Apr	53° / 31°	2.1	11.4	4.3	13.3	2.8
May	62° / 39°	2.2	11.1	0.7	14.8	5.2
Jun	71° / 46°	2.2	10	0.3	15.6	6.5
Jul	82° / 53°	0.7	4.6	0	15.3	7.1
Aug	82° / 52°	0.8	3.9	0	14	7.3
Sep	70° / 44°	1.2	5.8	0.1	12.4	7.4
Oct	55° / 33°	1.7	8.6	2.1	10.6	3.7
Nov	40° / 24°	2.0	10	7.8	9.2	0.3
Dec	31° / 16°	2.0	10.4	10.6	8.4	0.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	39	39	40	41	41	40	40	40	41	40	40	39	38	38	38	38	37	37	37	38	38	38	38	38	38	39	39	39	39	39	39
Cloudier (%)	61	61	60	59	59	60	60	60	59	60	60	61	62	62	62	62	63	63	63	62	62	62	62	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	61

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	39	61
2	39	61
3	40	60
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	40	60
11	40	60
12	39	61
13	38	62
14	38	62
15	38	62
16	38	62
17	37	63
18	37	63
19	37	63
20	38	62
21	38	62
22	38	62
23	38	62
24	38	62
25	38	62
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	39	61
31	39	61

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Missoula gets around 2.2 in of rain and snow over 11.1 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 precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	33	34	34	35	35	36	36	37	37	38	38	39	39	39	40	40	40	40	40	40	40	40
Snow chance (%)	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	33	6
2	33	6
3	33	6
4	33	6
5	33	5
6	33	5
7	33	4
8	33	4
9	33	4
10	33	4
11	34	3
12	34	3
13	35	3
14	35	3
15	36	3
16	36	3
17	37	3
18	37	2
19	38	2
20	38	2
21	39	2
22	39	2
23	39	2
24	40	2
25	40	2
26	40	1
27	40	1
28	40	1
29	40	1
30	40	1
31	40	1

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in May

Winds average 4 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	4	calm
2	4	calm
3	4	calm
4	4	calm
5	4	calm
6	4	calm
7	4	calm
8	4	calm
9	4	calm
10	4	calm
11	4	calm
12	4	calm
13	4	calm
14	4	calm
15	4	calm
16	4	calm
17	4	calm
18	4	calm
19	4	calm
20	4	calm
21	4	calm
22	4	calm
23	4	calm
24	4	calm
25	4	calm
26	4	calm
27	4	calm
28	4	calm
29	4	calm
30	4	calm
31	4	calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 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 5:29 AM to 4:53 AM, and sunset from 7:37 PM to 8:14 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	14.1	14.2	14.2	14.3	14.3	14.4	14.4	14.5	14.5	14.6	14.6	14.7	14.7	14.7	14.8	14.8	14.9	14.9	14.9	15.0	15.0	15.1	15.1	15.1	15.2	15.2	15.2	15.3	15.3	15.3	15.4
Sunrise (AM)	5:29	5:27	5:26	5:24	5:23	5:21	5:20	5:18	5:17	5:15	5:14	5:13	5:11	5:10	5:09	5:07	5:06	5:05	5:04	5:03	5:02	5:01	5:00	4:59	4:58	4:57	4:56	4:55	4:54	4:53	4:53
Sunset (PM)	7:37	7:39	7:40	7:41	7:43	7:44	7:45	7:47	7:48	7:49	7:51	7:52	7:53	7:55	7:56	7:57	7:58	8:00	8:01	8:02	8:03	8:04	8:05	8:07	8:08	8:09	8:10	8:11	8:12	8:13	8:14

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	14.1	5:29	7:37
2	14.2	5:27	7:39
3	14.2	5:26	7:40
4	14.3	5:24	7:41
5	14.3	5:23	7:43
6	14.4	5:21	7:44
7	14.4	5:20	7:45
8	14.5	5:18	7:47
9	14.5	5:17	7:48
10	14.6	5:15	7:49
11	14.6	5:14	7:51
12	14.7	5:13	7:52
13	14.7	5:11	7:53
14	14.7	5:10	7:55
15	14.8	5:09	7:56
16	14.8	5:07	7:57
17	14.9	5:06	7:58
18	14.9	5:05	8:00
19	14.9	5:04	8:01
20	15.0	5:03	8:02
21	15.0	5:02	8:03
22	15.1	5:01	8:04
23	15.1	5:00	8:05
24	15.1	4:59	8:07
25	15.2	4:58	8:08
26	15.2	4:57	8:09
27	15.2	4:56	8:10
28	15.3	4:55	8:11
29	15.3	4:54	8:12
30	15.3	4:53	8:13
31	15.4	4:53	8:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.37 kWh/m² to a high of 7.45 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.5
Level	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	6.1	Intense
2	6.1	Intense
3	6.2	Intense
4	6.2	Intense
5	6.2	Intense
6	6.2	Intense
7	6.3	Intense
8	6.3	Intense
9	6.3	Intense
10	6.3	Intense
11	6.3	Intense
12	6.3	Intense
13	6.3	Intense
14	6.3	Intense
15	6.3	Intense
16	6.3	Intense
17	6.3	Intense
18	6.3	Intense
19	6.3	Intense
20	6.3	Intense
21	6.3	Intense
22	6.3	Intense
23	6.4	Intense
24	6.4	Intense
25	6.4	Intense
26	6.4	Intense
27	6.4	Intense
28	6.4	Intense
29	6.4	Intense
30	6.4	Intense
31	6.5	Intense

Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Missoula?

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

5.2

Sightseeing

5th-best month of the year

1.3

Beach & pool

5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Missoula for sightseeing.

What to pack for Missoula in May

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

In May, Missoula sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 39°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Missoula 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 Missoula peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	1	2	4	5	7	7	9	6	5	4	1	1
Level	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	1	Low
Feb	2	Low
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	5	Moderate
May	7	High
Jun	7	Very high
Jul	9	Very high
Aug	6	High
Sep	5	Moderate
Oct	4	Moderate
Nov	1	Low
Dec	1	Low

Air quality in Missoula 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 Missoula is worst in September — around 54 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 10.7× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	5	5	8	10	10	8	35	51	54	10	6	5
Level	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Poor	Poor	Poor	Good	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	5	Good
Feb	5	Good
Mar	8	Good
Apr	10	Good
May	10	Good
Jun	8	Good
Jul	35	Poor
Aug	51	Poor
Sep	54	Poor
Oct	10	Good
Nov	6	Good
Dec	5	Good

Location & terrain

Where is Missoula?

Missoula sits at 46.9°N, 114.0°W, 3,209 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Butte, 92 mi away.

Topography around Missoula

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Missoula has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,952 ft around an average of 3,406 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,833 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,139 ft.

The land around Missoula is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), grassland (35%) and trees (25%) within 2 miles, trees (58%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (69%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

1,952 ft

artificial surfaces 36%

10 miles

4,833 ft

trees 58%

50 miles

7,139 ft

trees 69%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen

← April Missoula year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

May weather nearby: Butte 92 mi · Kalispell 93 mi · Helena 94 mi · Whitefish 107 mi · Great Falls 134 mi · Coeur d'Alene 142 mi · Moscow 142 mi · Lewiston Orchards 145 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

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 Missoula (46.8721°, -113.994°, elevation 3,209 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).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	57	34
2	58	35
3	58	35
4	58	35
5	59	36
6	59	36
7	60	36
8	60	37
9	60	37
10	61	37
11	61	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	39
15	63	39
16	63	39
17	63	40
18	63	40
19	64	40
20	64	41
21	64	41
22	64	41
23	65	41
24	65	42
25	65	42
26	65	42
27	66	42
28	66	43
29	66	43
30	66	43
31	66	43

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	39	61
2	39	61
3	40	60
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	40	60
11	40	60
12	39	61
13	38	62
14	38	62
15	38	62
16	38	62
17	37	63
18	37	63
19	37	63
20	38	62
21	38	62
22	38	62
23	38	62
24	38	62
25	38	62
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	39	61
31	39	61

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	33	6
2	33	6
3	33	6
4	33	6
5	33	5
6	33	5
7	33	4
8	33	4
9	33	4
10	33	4
11	34	3
12	34	3
13	35	3
14	35	3
15	36	3
16	36	3
17	37	3
18	37	2
19	38	2
20	38	2
21	39	2
22	39	2
23	39	2
24	40	2
25	40	2
26	40	1
27	40	1
28	40	1
29	40	1
30	40	1
31	40	1

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	57	34
2	58	35
3	58	35
4	58	35
5	59	36
6	59	36
7	60	36
8	60	37
9	60	37
10	61	37
11	61	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	39
15	63	39
16	63	39
17	63	40
18	63	40
19	64	40
20	64	41
21	64	41
22	64	41
23	65	41
24	65	42
25	65	42
26	65	42
27	66	42
28	66	43
29	66	43
30	66	43
31	66	43

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	39	61
2	39	61
3	40	60
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	40	60
11	40	60
12	39	61
13	38	62
14	38	62
15	38	62
16	38	62
17	37	63
18	37	63
19	37	63
20	38	62
21	38	62
22	38	62
23	38	62
24	38	62
25	38	62
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	39	61
31	39	61

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	33	6
2	33	6
3	33	6
4	33	6
5	33	5
6	33	5
7	33	4
8	33	4
9	33	4
10	33	4
11	34	3
12	34	3
13	35	3
14	35	3
15	36	3
16	36	3
17	37	3
18	37	2
19	38	2
20	38	2
21	39	2
22	39	2
23	39	2
24	40	2
25	40	2
26	40	1
27	40	1
28	40	1
29	40	1
30	40	1
31	40	1

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	57	34
2	58	35
3	58	35
4	58	35
5	59	36
6	59	36
7	60	36
8	60	37
9	60	37
10	61	37
11	61	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	39
15	63	39
16	63	39
17	63	40
18	63	40
19	64	40
20	64	41
21	64	41
22	64	41
23	65	41
24	65	42
25	65	42
26	65	42
27	66	42
28	66	43
29	66	43
30	66	43
31	66	43

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	39	61
2	39	61
3	40	60
4	41	59
5	41	59
6	40	60
7	40	60
8	40	60
9	41	59
10	40	60
11	40	60
12	39	61
13	38	62
14	38	62
15	38	62
16	38	62
17	37	63
18	37	63
19	37	63
20	38	62
21	38	62
22	38	62
23	38	62
24	38	62
25	38	62
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	39	61
31	39	61

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	33	6
2	33	6
3	33	6
4	33	6
5	33	5
6	33	5
7	33	4
8	33	4
9	33	4
10	33	4
11	34	3
12	34	3
13	35	3
14	35	3
15	36	3
16	36	3
17	37	3
18	37	2
19	38	2
20	38	2
21	39	2
22	39	2
23	39	2
24	40	2
25	40	2
26	40	1
27	40	1
28	40	1
29	40	1
30	40	1
31	40	1

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100