Poughkeepsie weather in May

In May, Poughkeepsie sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 73°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Poughkeepsie's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Poughkeepsie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
5th warmest
Overnight low
50°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
11.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:42 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Poughkeepsie is city in New York, United States.

Density
2,051/km²
people per km²
Founded
1686

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 65°F in the first days to 73°F by the end.

A typical May day in Poughkeepsie reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16446
26546
36546
46546
56647
66647
76647
86748
96748
106748
116748
126849
136849
146849
156949
166950
176950
186950
197051
207051
217151
227152
237152
247252
257253
267253
277353
287354
297354
307454
317455

How May really feels in Poughkeepsie

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.

Poughkeepsie 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
Jan35° / 21°3.49.35.99.30.0
Feb38° / 22°2.98.24.910.30.0
Mar47° / 29°4.010.44.111.71.4
Apr59° / 40°3.810.8113.14.4
May69° / 50°3.711.6014.36.1
Jun78° / 59°3.811.60156.4
Jul83° / 64°3.510.3014.75.7
Aug81° / 63°3.79.4013.76.4
Sep74° / 55°4.08.6012.37.0
Oct62° / 45°4.390.210.95.4
Nov50° / 35°3.38.71.19.62.3
Dec40° / 27°4.0104.590.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34159
44159
54060
64060
74060
83961
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174060
184060
193961
203961
213961
224060
234060
244159
254159
264258
274258
284159
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Poughkeepsie gets around 3.7 in of rain over 11.6 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 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
736
836
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
3037
3137

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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193520
291630
391630
490730
589740
688840
788840
886950
9851050
10851050
11841150
12831160
13821260
14811360
15791371
16781471
17781471
18761581
19731692
20731692
217017103
226917113
236618124
246618124
256418135
266219145
276119146
285920156
295920156
305721157
315621167

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:00 AM to 4:30 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:006:46
213.84:586:47
313.94:576:48
413.94:566:49
513.94:546:51
614.04:536:52
714.04:526:53
814.14:516:54
914.14:496:55
1014.14:486:56
1114.24:476:57
1214.24:466:58
1314.24:456:59
1414.34:447:00
1514.34:437:01
1614.34:427:02
1714.44:417:03
1814.44:407:04
1914.44:397:05
2014.54:387:06
2114.54:377:07
2214.54:367:08
2314.64:357:09
2414.64:357:10
2514.64:347:11
2614.64:337:12
2714.74:327:13
2814.74:327:14
2914.74:317:14
3014.74:317:15
3114.84:307:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.98 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.53 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
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Poughkeepsie

In seasonPeak

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

Poughkeepsie 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 Poughkeepsie?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Poughkeepsie for sightseeing.

What to pack for Poughkeepsie in May

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

In May, Poughkeepsie sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Poughkeepsie 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 Poughkeepsie peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 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 11UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Poughkeepsie?

Poughkeepsie sits at 41.7°N, 73.9°W, 203 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newburgh, 14 mi away.

Topography around Poughkeepsie

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Poughkeepsie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft around an average of 171 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,355 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,370 ft.

The land around Poughkeepsie is covered by trees (54%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (88%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
518 ft
10 miles
1,355 ft
50 miles
4,370 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Newburgh 14 mi · Kingston 16 mi · Kiryas Joel 28 mi · Peekskill 29 mi · Cortlandt Manor 29 mi · Middletown 31 mi · Danbury 32 mi · Ossining 37 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 Poughkeepsie (41.7004°, -73.921°, elevation 203 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).