Rio Rancho weather in May

In May, Rio Rancho sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 0.7 in of rain across 3.2 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rio Rancho's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rio Rancho's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
0.7 in
3.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:08 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
38%
7th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Rio Rancho is city in Sandoval and Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States.

Density
326/km²
people per km²
Founded
1961

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 74°F in the first days to 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in Rio Rancho reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 67°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17346
27347
37447
47447
57448
67548
77548
87549
97649
107649
117650
127750
137751
147751
157851
167851
177852
187852
197952
207953
217953
228053
238054
248054
258154
268155
278255
288255
298356
308356
318356

How May really feels in Rio Rancho

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.

Rio Rancho weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 25°0.64.22.49.91.3
Feb52° / 29°0.63.61.710.73.2
Mar60° / 35°0.63.60.811.75.9
Apr68° / 42°0.62.80.412.97.7
May78° / 51°0.73.2013.88.1
Jun88° / 61°0.42.3014.35.6
Jul89° / 66°1.26.6014.14.7
Aug86° / 64°1.16.2013.35.6
Sep80° / 57°1.14.4012.27.8
Oct69° / 45°1.14.10.211.17.8
Nov55° / 33°0.63.20.910.14.5
Dec45° / 25°0.83.82.39.71.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47426
57426
67426
77426
87426
97426
107426
117426
127426
137426
147426
157327
167327
177327
187327
197327
207327
217426
227426
237525
247624
257723
267723
277921
287921
298020
308119
318218

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rio Rancho gets around 0.7 in of rain over 3.2 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 10% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
59
69
79
89
910
1010
1110
1210
1311
1411
1511
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2311
2411
2511
2610
279
289
298
308
317

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17light breeze
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 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 5:22 AM to 4:59 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:226:46
213.45:216:47
313.55:206:48
413.55:196:48
513.55:176:49
613.65:166:50
713.65:156:51
813.65:146:52
913.75:146:53
1013.75:136:53
1113.75:126:54
1213.75:116:55
1313.85:106:56
1413.85:096:57
1513.85:086:58
1613.85:086:58
1713.95:076:59
1813.95:067:00
1913.95:057:01
2013.95:057:01
2114.05:047:02
2214.05:037:03
2314.05:037:04
2414.05:027:04
2514.15:027:05
2614.15:017:06
2714.15:007:07
2814.15:007:07
2914.15:007:08
3014.24:597:09
3114.24:597:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.05 kWh/m² to a high of 8.27 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.6Intense
27.6Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.7Intense
67.7Intense
77.7Intense
87.8Intense
97.8Intense
107.8Intense
117.8Intense
127.8Intense
137.8Intense
147.8Intense
157.8Intense
167.8Intense
177.8Intense
187.9Intense
197.9Intense
207.9Intense
217.9Intense
227.9Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
258.0Intense
268.0Intense
278.1Intense
288.1Intense
298.1Intense
308.2Intense
318.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rio Rancho?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Rio Rancho for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Rio Rancho in May

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

In May, Rio Rancho sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 51°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 3 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Rio Rancho in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rio Rancho peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Rio Rancho?

Rio Rancho sits at 35.2°N, 106.7°W, 5,282 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Enchanted Hills, 8.1 mi away.

Topography around Rio Rancho

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rio Rancho has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 469 ft around an average of 5,246 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,156 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,522 ft.

The land around Rio Rancho is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) and bare terrain (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
469 ft
10 miles
3,156 ft
50 miles
6,522 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Enchanted Hills 8.1 mi · Albuquerque 11 mi · South Valley 16 mi · Los Lunas 30 mi · Santa Fe 52 mi · Gallup 119 mi · Farmington 135 mi · Durango 157 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 Rio Rancho (35.2334°, -106.6645°, elevation 5,282 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).