Mitchell weather in May

In May, Mitchell sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 4.0 in of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Mitchell's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mitchell's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.0 in
11.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
5:13 AM – 7:44 PM
Cloud cover
60%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Mitchell is city in and county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
493/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 65°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Mitchell reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 12°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16442
26443
36543
46544
56544
66645
76645
86745
96746
106746
116847
126847
136847
146948
156948
166949
177049
187049
197150
207150
217151
227251
237252
247252
257352
267353
277353
287454
297454
307454
317555

How May really feels in Mitchell

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.

Mitchell 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
Jan28° / 10°0.74.34.39.10.0
Feb32° / 14°0.84.44.110.20.0
Mar44° / 24°1.66.23.811.61.1
Apr58° / 36°3.59.5213.24.2
May69° / 49°4.011.7014.56.2
Jun80° / 60°4.211.6015.26.3
Jul85° / 64°3.08.3014.95.7
Aug83° / 62°2.88.4013.86.5
Sep75° / 52°2.86.9012.37.4
Oct60° / 39°2.16.50.710.85.4
Nov44° / 25°1.24.62.89.51.2
Dec31° / 14°0.94.34.28.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

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 (%)
14555
24555
34555
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164456
174456
184456
194456
204357
214357
224456
234456
244456
254456
264357
274456
284555
294654
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Mitchell gets around 4.0 in of rain over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
236
336
436
536
636
736
836
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1737
1837
1938
2038
2139
2239
2340
2441
2541
2642
2742
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
195410
294510
394510
494510
592620
692620
791720
891720
989830
1088930
1188930
12871030
13871030
14851140
15841240
16831340
17811351
18801451
19781561
20771661
21761671
22751771
23731881
24731881
25711991
26711991
276920101
286621112
296621112
306422122
316322132

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
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 5:00 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 7:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:327:27
214.05:317:28
314.05:297:29
414.05:287:30
514.15:267:31
614.15:257:33
714.25:247:34
814.25:227:35
914.35:217:36
1014.35:207:37
1114.35:197:38
1214.45:177:39
1314.45:167:41
1414.45:157:42
1514.55:147:43
1614.55:137:44
1714.65:127:45
1814.65:117:46
1914.65:107:47
2014.75:097:48
2114.75:087:49
2214.75:077:50
2314.85:067:51
2414.85:057:52
2514.85:047:53
2614.85:037:54
2714.95:037:55
2814.95:027:56
2914.95:017:57
3015.05:017:58
3115.05:007:59

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 1.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.76 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.84 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Mitchell

In seasonPeak

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

Mitchell's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Mitchell?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Mitchell for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mitchell in May

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

In May, Mitchell sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Mitchell 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 Mitchell peaks around June 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 15UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mitchell?

Mitchell sits at 43.7°N, 98.0°W, 1,312 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sioux Falls, 66 mi away.

Topography around Mitchell

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mitchell has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 1,312 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft.

The land around Mitchell is covered by grassland (34%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and grassland (36%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
279 ft
50 miles
869 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sioux Falls 66 mi · Brookings 74 mi · Watertown 94 mi · Sioux City 117 mi · Norfolk 120 mi · Aberdeen 124 mi · Columbus 161 mi · Fremont 175 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 Mitchell (43.7094°, -98.0298°, elevation 1,312 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).