Ponca City weather in May

In May, Ponca City sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 5.2 in of rain across 12 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ponca City's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponca City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.2 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:26 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
55%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Ponca City is city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States.

Density
487/km²
people per km²
Founded
1893

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 73°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Ponca City reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 67°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17353
27353
37354
47454
57455
67455
77555
87556
97556
107656
117657
127657
137758
147758
157758
167859
177859
187860
197860
207960
217961
227961
238061
248062
258062
268162
278163
288163
298263
308264
318264

How May really feels in Ponca City

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.

Ponca City 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
Jan46° / 27°1.45.11.59.81.4
Feb51° / 31°1.85.61.510.62.8
Mar60° / 40°3.08.10.911.75.2
Apr69° / 49°4.39.70.112.96.5
May78° / 59°5.212013.96.5
Jun87° / 68°4.610014.55.0
Jul91° / 72°3.07.4014.33.9
Aug90° / 71°2.77.4013.44.3
Sep82° / 62°3.17.2012.26.5
Oct71° / 50°3.47.40.111.17.4
Nov58° / 39°1.95.70.4105.0
Dec48° / 30°1.75.21.69.51.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35149
45149
55149
65149
75248
85248
95347
105347
115347
125446
135347
145347
155347
165248
175248
185149
195149
205149
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
265149
275248
285248
295347
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ponca City gets around 5.2 in of rain over 12 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
539
639
739
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1538
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2740
2840
2940
3039
3139

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 39% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
168131540
266141640
362151850
461151950
558162060
656162170
753172280
852172380
950172490
10481824100
11461825110
12451825110
13431826120
14421826130
15411826150
16391827160
17381727170
18371727190
19351727200
20331628220
21321628231
22301628251
23281629261
24261629281
25241629301
26221729311
27211729331
28191729341
29171729352
30161729362
31151729372

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light 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
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:41 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:417:10
213.55:407:11
313.65:397:12
413.65:387:13
513.65:377:14
613.65:357:14
713.75:347:15
813.75:337:16
913.75:327:17
1013.85:317:18
1113.85:307:19
1213.85:307:20
1313.95:297:21
1413.95:287:21
1513.95:277:22
1614.05:267:23
1714.05:257:24
1814.05:247:25
1914.05:247:26
2014.15:237:26
2114.15:227:27
2214.15:227:28
2314.15:217:29
2414.25:207:30
2514.25:207:30
2614.25:197:31
2714.25:197:32
2814.25:187:33
2914.35:187:33
3014.35:177:34
3114.35:177:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.99 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Ponca City?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Ponca City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ponca City in May

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

In May, Ponca City sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ponca City 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 Ponca City peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Ponca City 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 Ponca City is worst in April — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.3× the cleanest month (November, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1327 µg/m³Nov 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar21Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May10Good
Jun12Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct5Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ponca City?

Ponca City sits at 36.7°N, 97.1°W, 1,010 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Stillwater, 41 mi away.

Topography around Ponca City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ponca City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft around an average of 991 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft.

The land around Ponca City is covered by grassland (32%), trees (30%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, cropland (39%) and grassland (37%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and cropland (32%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
167 ft
10 miles
348 ft
50 miles
751 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Stillwater 41 mi · Enid 49 mi · Derby 59 mi · Bartlesville 62 mi · Sand Springs 67 mi · Wichita 70 mi · Tulsa 71 mi · Sapulpa 73 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 Ponca City (36.707°, -97.0856°, elevation 1,010 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).