Pendleton weather in May

In May, Pendleton sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 1.5 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 73°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Pendleton's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pendleton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
47°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1.5 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
4:30 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Pendleton is city in and seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, United States.

Density
620/km²
people per km²
Founded
1851

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 73°F by the end.

A typical May day in Pendleton reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16643
26643
36644
46744
56744
66744
76845
86845
96845
106946
116946
126946
136947
147047
157047
167047
177048
187148
197148
207148
217149
227149
237249
247249
257249
267349
277350
287350
297350
307350
317450

How May really feels in Pendleton

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.

Pendleton weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 30°2.312.64.38.90.2
Feb46° / 31°1.810.43.210.11.3
Mar54° / 35°2.110.91.411.63.1
Apr61° / 40°1.69.40.513.35.1
May70° / 47°1.57.3014.76.9
Jun77° / 53°0.94.6015.47.8
Jul87° / 59°0.21.1015.16.1
Aug86° / 58°0.31.4013.96.5
Sep76° / 51°0.52.9012.38.3
Oct63° / 42°1.57.60.210.75.8
Nov49° / 34°2.3122.19.31.9
Dec41° / 29°2.51358.60.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35446
45446
55446
65347
75347
85248
95149
105050
115050
125050
134951
144852
154852
164852
174753
184753
194753
204753
214852
224951
234951
244951
255149
265248
275248
285347
295347
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pendleton gets around 1.5 in of rain over 7.3 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 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
222
322
422
522
622
722
823
923
1024
1124
1225
1325
1426
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2225
2325
2424
2524
2623
2722
2822
2921
3021
3121

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:51 AM to 4:16 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:516:54
214.14:496:55
314.14:486:56
414.24:466:58
514.24:456:59
614.34:437:00
714.34:427:01
814.44:417:03
914.44:397:04
1014.54:387:05
1114.54:367:07
1214.54:357:08
1314.64:347:09
1414.64:337:10
1514.74:317:11
1614.74:307:13
1714.74:297:14
1814.84:287:15
1914.84:277:16
2014.94:267:17
2114.94:257:18
2214.94:247:20
2315.04:237:21
2415.04:227:22
2515.04:217:23
2615.14:207:24
2715.14:197:25
2815.14:187:26
2915.24:187:27
3015.24:177:28
3115.24:167:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.29 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Pendleton?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Pendleton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pendleton in May

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

In May, Pendleton sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 47°F. Pack sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Pendleton 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 Pendleton peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 15UV 8Dec 14UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Pendleton 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 Pendleton is worst in August — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1827 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pendleton?

Pendleton sits at 45.7°N, 118.8°W, 1,066 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hermiston, 27 mi away.

Topography around Pendleton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pendleton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 486 ft around an average of 1,250 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,136 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,581 ft.

The land around Pendleton is covered by grassland (41%), cropland (27%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (55%) and grassland (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (43%), cropland (28%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
486 ft
10 miles
2,136 ft
50 miles
6,581 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hermiston 27 mi · Walla Walla 35 mi · Kennewick 41 mi · Pasco 42 mi · Tri-Cities 44 mi · Richland 48 mi · Sunnyside 74 mi · Lewiston 99 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 Pendleton (45.6721°, -118.7886°, elevation 1,066 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).