Plattsburgh weather in May

In May, Plattsburgh sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 69°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Plattsburgh's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plattsburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
5th warmest
Overnight low
46°
8th coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:32 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
66%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Plattsburgh is city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States.

Density
1,163/km²
people per km²
Founded
1785

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 60°F in the first days to 69°F by the end.

A typical May day in Plattsburgh reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 13°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16041
26041
36042
46142
56142
66243
76243
86243
96344
106344
116344
126444
136445
146445
156545
166546
176546
186646
196647
206647
216747
226748
236748
246848
256849
266849
276849
286950
296950
306950
316951

How May really feels in Plattsburgh

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.

Plattsburgh weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 12°2.59.88.790.0
Feb28° / 12°2.28.57.910.10.0
Mar37° / 22°2.911.16.711.60.1
Apr52° / 35°3.711.62.613.22.6
May65° / 46°4.0120.114.65.5
Jun74° / 55°4.412.3015.36.3
Jul78° / 62°4.212.80156.3
Aug76° / 60°4.212.6013.96.6
Sep69° / 53°3.79.8012.36.4
Oct56° / 42°4.312.40.510.73.5
Nov43° / 32°3.211.73.49.40.7
Dec33° / 22°3.011.68.88.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33763
43763
53763
63763
73763
83763
93862
103763
113763
123862
133862
143862
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203862
213961
223961
233961
243862
253862
263862
273862
283862
293763
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Plattsburgh gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 12 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1382
2382
3371
4371
5371
6371
7371
8371
9371
10371
11371
12371
13371
14371
15371
16371
17370
18380
19380
20390
21390
22390
23400
24400
25400
26410
27410
28410
29410
30410
31410

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196400
296400
396400
496400
595410
694510
794510
894510
994510
1094510
1194510
1294510
1394510
1492620
1592620
1692620
1791630
1890730
1989740
2088840
2187850
2284961
2384961
24821071
25811081
26801181
27791281
28771292
29761392
30751492
31741592

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
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
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 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:52 AM to 4:18 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:526:50
214.04:506:52
314.14:496:53
414.14:476:54
514.24:466:55
614.24:446:57
714.24:436:58
814.34:426:59
914.34:407:00
1014.44:397:01
1114.44:387:03
1214.54:367:04
1314.54:357:05
1414.54:347:06
1514.64:337:07
1614.64:327:08
1714.74:317:10
1814.74:297:11
1914.74:287:12
2014.84:277:13
2114.84:267:14
2214.84:257:15
2314.94:257:16
2414.94:247:17
2514.94:237:18
2615.04:227:19
2715.04:217:20
2815.04:207:21
2915.04:207:22
3015.14:197:23
3115.14:187:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.17 kWh/m² to a high of 5.87 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.46 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Plattsburgh

In seasonPeak

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

Plattsburgh 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 Plattsburgh?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Plattsburgh for sightseeing.

What to pack for Plattsburgh in May

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

In May, Plattsburgh sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Plattsburgh 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 Plattsburgh peaks around July 13 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Plattsburgh?

Plattsburgh sits at 44.7°N, 73.5°W, 138 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Colchester, 19 mi away.

Topography around Plattsburgh

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Plattsburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 151 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,457 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,325 ft.

The land around Plattsburgh is covered by water (34%), trees (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and water (28%) within 10 miles, and trees (69%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
1,457 ft
50 miles
5,325 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Colchester 19 mi · Burlington 19 mi · South Burlington 21 mi · Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 43 mi · Saint-Constant 47 mi · Candiac 47 mi · Sainte-Catherine 49 mi · Châteauguay 50 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 Plattsburgh (44.6995°, -73.4529°, elevation 138 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).