New Castle weather in May

In May, New Castle sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 13.6 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is New Castle's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Castle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
13.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:32 AM – 7:44 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

New Castle is city in Indiana, United States.

Density
930/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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 67°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in New Castle reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16648
26749
36749
46749
56850
66850
76851
86951
96951
106952
117052
127052
137053
147053
157153
167153
177154
187154
197254
207255
217255
227355
237356
247356
257456
267457
277457
287557
297558
307558
317658

How May really feels in New Castle

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.

New Castle 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
Jan35° / 21°3.29.85.39.50.0
Feb38° / 24°2.68.84.610.40.0
Mar49° / 32°3.810.92.711.72.0
Apr62° / 43°4.712.50.7134.8
May71° / 53°4.613.6014.26.0
Jun79° / 63°4.212.2014.86.2
Jul82° / 66°3.411.4014.56.1
Aug81° / 64°3.09.8013.66.6
Sep76° / 56°2.97.9012.37.2
Oct63° / 45°3.28.80.210.95.7
Nov50° / 35°3.48.71.19.82.3
Dec39° / 26°3.210.33.99.20.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43664
53664
63664
73664
83763
93763
103763
113763
123763
133862
143862
153961
163961
173961
183862
193763
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
253862
263961
273961
284060
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

New Castle gets around 4.6 in of rain over 13.6 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 44% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
445
545
645
745
845
945
1045
1145
1244
1344
1444
1544
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1831250
2821251
3801361
4791371
5781381
6761491
77414102
87314112
97214122
107114123
117014133
126814144
136714154
146614155
156514165
166414175
176115186
186115186
195915197
205715208
215616208
225416219
2352172110
2451172210
2550172211
2649182211
2748182212
2847182212
2946182313
3045182314
3144182314

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
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:49 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 7:29 PM to 7:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:497:29
213.75:477:30
313.75:467:31
413.85:457:32
513.85:447:33
613.95:427:34
713.95:417:35
813.95:407:36
914.05:397:37
1014.05:387:38
1114.05:377:39
1214.15:367:40
1314.15:357:41
1414.15:347:42
1514.25:337:43
1614.25:327:44
1714.25:317:45
1814.35:307:46
1914.35:297:46
2014.35:287:47
2114.35:277:48
2214.45:277:49
2314.45:267:50
2414.45:257:51
2514.55:257:52
2614.55:247:53
2714.55:237:54
2814.55:237:54
2914.65:227:55
3014.65:227:56
3114.65:217:57

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit New Castle?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit New Castle for sightseeing.

What to pack for New Castle in May

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

In May, New Castle sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in New Castle in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in New Castle peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in New Castle 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 New Castle is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is New Castle?

New Castle sits at 39.9°N, 85.4°W, 1,063 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Muncie, 18 mi away.

Topography around New Castle

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New Castle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 1,050 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 ft.

The land around New Castle is covered by trees (38%), cropland (22%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (68%) within 10 miles, and cropland (69%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
338 ft
50 miles
860 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Muncie 18 mi · Anderson 21 mi · Greenfield 24 mi · Richmond 26 mi · Fishers 34 mi · Noblesville 35 mi · Lawrence 35 mi · Shelbyville 35 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 New Castle (39.9289°, -85.3702°, elevation 1,063 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).