New London weather in May

In May, New London sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 62°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 48 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 London's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New London's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
6th warmest
Overnight low
51°
7th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:35 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
62%
12th clearest
Wind
11 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

New London is city in Connecticut, United States.

Density
989/km²
people per km²
Founded
1646

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 55°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical May day in New London reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 7°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15447
25547
35547
45548
55548
65648
75649
85649
95649
105749
115750
125750
135750
145850
155851
165851
175851
185951
195952
205952
216053
226053
236053
246153
256154
266154
276255
286255
296255
306355
316356

How May really feels in New London

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 London weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 29°4.010.44.59.40.0
Feb38° / 29°3.69.1410.30.0
Mar43° / 34°4.710.53.411.70.4
Apr50° / 43°4.210.90.413.12.3
May58° / 51°3.510.8014.34.3
Jun67° / 61°3.69.6014.96.3
Jul74° / 68°3.08.7014.77.2
Aug74° / 68°3.88.8013.77.2
Sep69° / 62°4.18.8012.36.8
Oct61° / 53°4.89.40.110.95.3
Nov52° / 44°4.29.30.39.72.8
Dec44° / 35°4.911.52.89.10.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

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 (%)
14654
24555
34555
44654
54555
64555
74654
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154654
164654
174654
184654
194654
204456
214456
224456
234456
244654
254654
264456
274456
284555
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

New London gets around 3.5 in of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
836
936
1036
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1737
1836
1936
2036
2135
2235
2334
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
2931
3031
3131

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49820
59820
69820
79730
89730
99640
109640
119550
129460
139460
149370
159280
169190
1790100
1887121
1986131
2084151
2182162
2280182
2377203
2475214
2572235
2671245
2768266
2866277
2964297
3062308
3160319

Wind in May

Winds average 11 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 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 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:53 AM to 4:24 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 7:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:536:38
213.84:526:39
313.84:506:40
413.94:496:41
513.94:486:43
614.04:466:44
714.04:456:45
814.04:446:46
914.14:436:47
1014.14:426:48
1114.14:406:49
1214.24:396:50
1314.24:386:51
1414.24:376:52
1514.34:366:53
1614.34:356:54
1714.34:346:55
1814.44:336:56
1914.44:326:57
2014.44:316:58
2114.54:316:59
2214.54:307:00
2314.54:297:01
2414.64:287:02
2514.64:277:03
2614.64:277:04
2714.64:267:04
2814.74:257:05
2914.74:257:06
3014.74:247:07
3114.74:247:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for New London

In seasonPeak

None of New London's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

New London sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Is May a good time to visit New London?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for New London in May

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

In May, New London sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near New London in May

The nearest coast averages about 52°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 71°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 15 to Sep 15 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun61Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug71Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in New London 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 London peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in New London 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 London is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is New London?

New London sits at 41.4°N, 72.1°W, 56 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waterford, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around New London

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New London has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft around an average of 82 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 656 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,325 ft.

The land around New London is covered by trees (41%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, trees (55%) and water (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
266 ft
10 miles
656 ft
50 miles
1,325 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Waterford 1.9 mi · Ledyard 7.5 mi · Montville Center 8.7 mi · Norwich 12 mi · Westerly 14 mi · Windham 24 mi · Plainfield 24 mi · Willimantic 25 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 London (41.3556°, -72.0995°, elevation 56 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).