New Haven weather in May

In May, New Haven sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 4.1 in of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is New Haven's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Haven's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.1 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:28 AM – 7:45 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

New Haven is city in Indiana.

Density
614/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 66°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in New Haven reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16647
26647
36648
46748
56748
66749
76849
86849
96950
106950
116950
126951
137051
147051
157052
167152
177152
187153
197253
207253
217254
227354
237354
247355
257455
267455
277456
287456
297556
307557
317557

How May really feels in New Haven

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 Haven 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 20°2.810.25.99.40.0
Feb37° / 23°2.38.24.710.40.0
Mar48° / 31°3.310.63.111.71.7
Apr61° / 41°4.012.10.613.14.6
May71° / 52°4.113.1014.36.0
Jun80° / 62°4.012014.96.2
Jul83° / 65°3.411.1014.75.8
Aug81° / 63°3.410.1013.66.5
Sep75° / 56°2.58.2012.37.1
Oct63° / 45°2.990.210.95.6
Nov49° / 35°3.19.31.49.72.1
Dec38° / 26°2.79.74.19.10.0

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63763
73862
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
184060
194060
203961
213961
223961
234159
244159
254159
264060
274159
284159
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

New Haven gets around 4.1 in of rain over 13.1 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 rain averages around 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
542
642
742
842
942
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2841
2941
3041
3141

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 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
189830
288840
387940
4851050
5831061
6821071
7811171
8801181
9791281
10781291
117513102
127513102
137414102
147314112
157115113
167015123
176916123
186716134
196616144
206417145
216317155
226217156
235918167
245918167
255718178
265718178
275518189
285518189
2954181810
3052191910
3151191911

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
178light breeze
188light 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 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 7:29 PM to 7:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:457:29
213.85:447:30
313.85:437:32
413.95:417:33
513.95:407:34
613.95:397:35
714.05:377:36
814.05:367:37
914.05:357:38
1014.15:347:39
1114.15:337:40
1214.25:327:41
1314.25:317:42
1414.25:307:43
1514.35:297:44
1614.35:287:45
1714.35:277:46
1814.45:267:47
1914.45:257:48
2014.45:247:49
2114.45:237:50
2214.55:227:51
2314.55:217:52
2414.55:217:53
2514.65:207:54
2614.65:197:54
2714.65:197:55
2814.65:187:56
2914.75:177:57
3014.75:177:58
3114.75:167:59

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
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
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit New Haven?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for New Haven in May

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

In May, New Haven sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in New Haven 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 New Haven peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in New Haven 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 Haven is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is New Haven?

New Haven sits at 41.1°N, 85.0°W, 758 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fort Wayne, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around New Haven

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New Haven has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 768 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft.

The land around New Haven is covered by trees (28%), cropland (28%) and grassland (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (49%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (72%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
351 ft
50 miles
643 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Fort Wayne 7.5 mi · Huntington 29 mi · Defiance 37 mi · Marion 49 mi · Lima 53 mi · Goshen 55 mi · Muncie 63 mi · Elkhart 65 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 Haven (41.0706°, -85.0144°, elevation 758 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).