Roswell weather in May

In May, Roswell sees average daytime highs of 85°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 1.4 in of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 82°F in the first days to 89°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Roswell's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Roswell's year-round climate.

Daytime high
85°
4th warmest
Overnight low
58°
8th coldest
Rainfall
1.4 in
4.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:03 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
36%
7th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Roswell is city in and the county seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, United States.

Density
627/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 82°F in the first days to 89°F by the end.

A typical May day in Roswell reaches about 85°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 28°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 96°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18153
28153
38253
48254
58254
68354
78355
88355
98355
108456
118456
128456
138457
148557
158557
168558
178558
188658
198659
208659
218759
228760
238760
248760
258861
268861
278961
288962
298962
309062
319062

How May really feels in Roswell

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 2 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
2
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Roswell weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan55° / 31°0.52.61.2104.3
Feb60° / 35°0.52.70.910.86.0
Mar68° / 41°0.83.30.311.77.7
Apr77° / 48°0.82.60.112.88.4
May85° / 58°1.44.8013.76.2
Jun94° / 67°0.95014.23.4
Jul94° / 70°1.46.40143.2
Aug91° / 69°1.57.6013.23.9
Sep85° / 62°1.66.1012.26.2
Oct75° / 50°1.34.30.211.28.2
Nov63° / 38°0.62.60.610.36.8
Dec54° / 31°0.73.11.39.84.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27921
37921
47921
57723
67723
77723
87723
97723
107723
117624
127624
137525
147525
157525
167525
177525
187525
197525
207525
217525
227525
237624
247723
257822
267822
277921
287921
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Roswell gets around 1.4 in of rain over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
311
411
511
612
712
812
913
1013
1113
1214
1314
1415
1516
1616
1717
1817
1918
2018
2119
2219
2319
2419
2520
2620
2720
2820
2920
3020
3119

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99820
109820
119820
129730
139640
149640
159550
169460
179370
189370
199280
209190
219190
2289101
2388111
2487121
2586131
2686131
2785141
2884151
2984151
3083161
3183161

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:16 AM to 4:55 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:166:35
213.35:156:35
313.45:146:36
413.45:136:37
513.45:126:38
613.55:116:38
713.55:106:39
813.55:096:40
913.55:086:41
1013.65:076:41
1113.65:076:42
1213.65:066:43
1313.65:056:44
1413.75:046:44
1513.75:036:45
1613.75:036:46
1713.75:026:47
1813.85:016:47
1913.85:016:48
2013.85:006:49
2113.84:596:50
2213.94:596:50
2313.94:586:51
2413.94:586:52
2513.94:576:52
2613.94:576:53
2714.04:566:54
2814.04:566:54
2914.04:556:55
3014.04:556:56
3114.04:556:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.19 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
237.6Intense
247.6Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Roswell?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Roswell for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Roswell in May

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

In May, Roswell sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 58°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Roswell 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 Roswell peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7High
Apr10Extreme
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Roswell 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 Roswell is worst in December — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (August, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 1822 µg/m³Aug 249 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun11Good
Jul10Good
Aug9Good
Sep9Good
Oct9Good
Nov16Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Roswell?

Roswell sits at 33.4°N, 104.5°W, 3,576 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Carlsbad, 70 mi away.

Topography around Roswell

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Roswell has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 3,593 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,900 ft.

The land around Roswell is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (72%) within 10 miles, and grassland (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
719 ft
50 miles
6,900 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Carlsbad 70 mi · Alamogordo 90 mi · Hobbs 94 mi · Clovis 103 mi · Las Cruces 150 mi · Horizon City 153 mi · Lubbock 154 mi · Hereford 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 Roswell (33.3944°, -104.5249°, elevation 3,576 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).