Sanford weather in May

In May, Sanford sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sanford's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
47°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:24 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Sanford is city in York County, Maine, United States.

Density
165/km²
people per km²
Founded
1739

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 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Sanford reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15942
26042
36043
46043
56043
66144
76144
86144
96244
106245
116245
126345
136346
146346
156446
166446
176447
186547
196547
206548
216648
226648
236649
246749
256749
266750
276850
286850
296851
306951
316951

How May really feels in Sanford

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.

Sanford weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 16°3.39.37.19.10.0
Feb33° / 17°3.28.76.710.20.0
Mar41° / 26°4.110.96.211.60.3
Apr53° / 37°4.110.52.313.23.1
May64° / 47°3.210.50.114.55.5
Jun74° / 56°4.011.7015.26.4
Jul79° / 63°3.711.4014.96.4
Aug78° / 61°3.59.5013.86.9
Sep70° / 54°3.58.7012.36.8
Oct58° / 43°4.39.50.310.84.6
Nov47° / 33°3.69.11.79.51.5
Dec36° / 24°4.310.46.18.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
33961
43961
53862
63763
73763
83763
93763
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183763
193763
203763
213862
223862
233862
243961
253961
264060
273961
284159
294159
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Sanford gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 10.5 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2342
3332
4331
5331
6331
7331
8331
9340
10340
11340
12340
13340
14350
15350
16340
17340
18340
19340
20340
21340
22340
23350
24350
25350
26350
27350
28350
29350
30360
31360

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
298200
398200
497300
597300
697300
797300
897300
996400
1095410
1195410
1295410
1395410
1495410
1594510
1693520
1793520
1892620
1991630
2090730
2189830
2288840
2386950
24851050
25831061
26821161
27811261
28801271
29791371
30781471
31771481

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
17calm
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 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:44 AM to 4:12 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:446:37
213.94:426:38
314.04:416:39
414.04:396:41
514.14:386:42
614.14:376:43
714.14:356:44
814.24:346:45
914.24:336:46
1014.34:316:48
1114.34:306:49
1214.34:296:50
1314.44:286:51
1414.44:276:52
1514.54:266:53
1614.54:246:54
1714.54:236:55
1814.64:226:56
1914.64:216:57
2014.64:206:59
2114.74:197:00
2214.74:197:01
2314.74:187:02
2414.84:177:03
2514.84:167:04
2614.84:157:05
2714.84:157:05
2814.94:147:06
2914.94:137:07
3014.94:137:08
3115.04:127:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.57 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
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
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 Sanford

In seasonPeak

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

Sanford 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 Sanford?

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
1.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sanford for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sanford in May

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

In May, Sanford sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Sanford in May

The nearest coast averages about 48°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 mi away) is warmest in August at about 64°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May48Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul62Cool
Aug64Cool
Sep61Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Sanford 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 Sanford peaks around July 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 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 12UV 7Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sanford?

Sanford sits at 43.4°N, 70.8°W, 302 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rochester, 14 mi away.

Topography around Sanford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sanford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 ft around an average of 374 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,066 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,101 ft.

The land around Sanford is covered by trees (77%) within 2 miles, trees (87%) within 10 miles, and trees (68%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
492 ft
10 miles
1,066 ft
50 miles
4,101 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Rochester 14 mi · Biddeford 17 mi · Saco 17 mi · Dover 17 mi · West Scarborough 21 mi · Portsmouth 25 mi · Westbrook 26 mi · South Portland Gardens 27 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 Sanford (43.4393°, -70.7742°, elevation 302 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).