Moorhead weather in May

In May, Moorhead sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 72°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 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 Moorhead's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Moorhead's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
5th warmest
Overnight low
46°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
4:58 AM – 7:48 PM
Cloud cover
63%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Moorhead is city in Clay County, Minnesota, USA.

Density
728/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 61°F in the first days to 72°F by the end.

A typical May day in Moorhead reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 14°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16140
26140
36241
46241
56242
66342
76342
86443
96443
106444
116544
126545
136645
146646
156746
166746
176747
186847
196848
206948
216949
227049
237050
247050
257150
267151
277151
287252
297252
307353
317353

How May really feels in Moorhead

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.

Moorhead weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 0.84.84.98.80.0
Feb23° / 0.74.64.4100.0
Mar37° / 20°1.46.2411.60.2
Apr53° / 33°2.17.92.213.33.2
May67° / 46°3.511.40.114.85.9
Jun76° / 57°4.312.2015.66.4
Jul81° / 61°3.710.1015.36.7
Aug79° / 58°3.28.90147.1
Sep70° / 49°2.98.2012.46.9
Oct55° / 36°2.47.9110.63.7
Nov38° / 22°1.15.43.49.20.2
Dec24° / 0.95.55.88.40.0

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 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34060
44060
54159
64258
74258
84258
94258
104357
114258
124258
134258
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214159
224159
234159
244060
254060
264060
273961
283961
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Moorhead gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2352
3361
4371
5371
6381
7381
8381
9381
10370
11370
12370
13360
14360
15350
16350
17350
18340
19340
20340
21340
22350
23350
24350
25360
26360
27370
28370
29380
30380
31380

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
298200
398200
498200
596310
696310
796310
896310
995410
1095410
1194420
1293520
1393520
1492620
1592620
1692620
1790730
1890730
1989830
2088831
2187931
22861031
23851041
24841141
25831241
26821341
27811351
28801451
29791461
30781561
31761671

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

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 5:20 AM to 4:44 AM, and sunset from 7:28 PM to 8:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:207:28
214.25:197:30
314.25:177:31
414.35:157:32
514.35:147:34
614.45:127:35
714.45:117:37
814.55:097:38
914.55:087:39
1014.65:067:40
1114.65:057:42
1214.75:047:43
1314.75:027:44
1414.75:017:46
1514.85:007:47
1614.84:587:48
1714.94:577:49
1814.94:567:51
1914.94:557:52
2015.04:547:53
2115.04:537:54
2215.14:527:55
2315.14:517:57
2415.14:507:58
2515.24:497:59
2615.24:488:00
2715.24:478:01
2815.34:468:02
2915.34:458:03
3015.34:458:04
3115.44:448:05

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 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Moorhead

In seasonPeak

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

Moorhead'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 Moorhead?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Moorhead for sightseeing.

What to pack for Moorhead in May

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

In May, Moorhead sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Moorhead in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Moorhead peaks around June 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 18UV 8Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Moorhead 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 Moorhead is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1215 µg/m³Oct 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Moorhead?

Moorhead sits at 46.9°N, 96.8°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fargo, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Moorhead

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Moorhead has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 ft around an average of 906 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 ft.

The land around Moorhead is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (65%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
72 ft
10 miles
121 ft
50 miles
837 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Fargo 1.2 mi · West Fargo 6.2 mi · Grand Forks 74 mi · Jamestown 91 mi · Aberdeen 127 mi · Watertown 137 mi · Willmar 147 mi · Sartell 150 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 Moorhead (46.8739°, -96.7695°, elevation 906 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).