Pittsburgh weather in May

In May, Pittsburgh sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 14.3 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 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 Pittsburgh's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pittsburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
14.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:09 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Pittsburgh is city and county seat in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
2,015/km²
people per km²
Founded
1758

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 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Pittsburgh reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°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 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16647
26747
36748
46748
56748
66849
76849
86849
96949
106950
116950
126950
136951
147051
157051
167051
177052
187152
197152
207153
217253
227253
237253
247354
257354
267355
277455
287455
297456
307456
317556

How May really feels in Pittsburgh

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.

Pittsburgh 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
Jan37° / 23°3.6127.19.40.0
Feb40° / 24°3.110.85.810.40.1
Mar49° / 32°4.212.93.411.71.9
Apr62° / 42°4.713.81134.6
May70° / 51°4.814.3014.25.8
Jun79° / 60°5.013.6014.86.0
Jul82° / 64°4.614014.65.7
Aug81° / 63°3.711.9013.66.2
Sep74° / 56°4.010.4012.36.7
Oct62° / 45°3.710.70.210.95.3
Nov50° / 35°3.5101.49.82.3
Dec41° / 28°3.511.64.69.20.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43664
53763
63763
73664
83664
93565
103565
113565
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183664
193763
203862
213862
223862
234060
244060
254060
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pittsburgh gets around 4.8 in of rain over 14.3 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
248
348
449
549
649
749
849
950
1050
1150
1250
1349
1449
1548
1648
1747
1846
1946
2045
2145
2244
2344
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1831250
2831250
3811360
4801460
5791470
6771580
7761581
8751591
97316101
107316101
117216111
127116112
137016122
146917122
156717133
166717133
176617143
186417154
196218155
206118165
216018166
225818177
235718178
245519179
2554191710
2653191810
2752191811
2851191812
2950201812
3049191913
3148191914

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
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:26 AM to 4:58 AM, and sunset from 7:08 PM to 7:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:267:08
213.75:257:09
313.85:247:10
413.85:227:11
513.95:217:12
613.95:207:13
713.95:197:14
814.05:187:15
914.05:167:16
1014.05:157:17
1114.15:147:18
1214.15:137:19
1314.15:127:20
1414.25:117:21
1514.25:107:22
1614.25:097:23
1714.35:087:24
1814.35:077:25
1914.35:067:26
2014.45:057:27
2114.45:057:28
2214.45:047:29
2314.45:037:30
2414.55:027:31
2514.55:027:32
2614.55:017:33
2714.65:007:33
2814.65:007:34
2914.64:597:35
3014.64:597:36
3114.64:587:37

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.5 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Pittsburgh

In seasonPeak

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

Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Pittsburgh for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pittsburgh in May

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

In May, Pittsburgh sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 51°F. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh peaks around June 22 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh sits at 40.4°N, 80.0°W, 764 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilkinsburg, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Pittsburgh

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pittsburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 ft around an average of 906 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,352 ft.

The land around Pittsburgh is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (35%) within 2 miles, trees (66%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
564 ft
10 miles
682 ft
50 miles
2,352 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Wilkinsburg 6.2 mi · Mount Lebanon 6.8 mi · Baldwin 6.8 mi · Bethel Park 8.1 mi · Allison Park 8.7 mi · Upper Saint Clair 8.7 mi · West Mifflin 8.7 mi · Penn Hills 9.3 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 Pittsburgh (40.4406°, -79.9959°, elevation 764 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). 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).