Scranton weather in May

In May, Scranton sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 12.6 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 71°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Scranton's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Scranton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
12.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:49 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
66%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Scranton is city in and county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
1,166/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 63°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical May day in Scranton reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 80°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)
16244
26344
36345
46345
56445
66446
76446
86546
96547
106547
116547
126647
136648
146648
156648
166748
176749
186749
196849
206850
216850
226951
236951
246951
257052
267052
277152
287153
297153
307153
317254

How May really feels in Scranton

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.

Scranton weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°3.09.46.99.40.0
Feb35° / 20°2.595.810.30.0
Mar44° / 28°3.611.4511.70.8
Apr57° / 39°3.511.71.513.13.7
May67° / 49°3.512.60.114.35.7
Jun76° / 58°3.812014.96.4
Jul80° / 62°3.010.9014.76.4
Aug78° / 61°3.39.9013.76.7
Sep71° / 54°3.79.3012.36.7
Oct59° / 43°3.79.60.510.94.6
Nov47° / 33°3.08.71.89.71.6
Dec37° / 25°3.310.55.59.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33862
43862
53862
63862
73763
83862
93862
103862
113763
123763
133763
143763
153862
163862
173862
183862
193862
203862
213862
223862
233961
243961
253961
263961
274060
284060
293961
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Scranton gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 12.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
941
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2939
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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193610
293610
391720
491720
590820
690820
788930
8871030
9871030
10871030
11851140
12851140
13841240
14831250
15821350
16811360
17811360
18791470
19771481
20751591
217415101
227315111
237115122
247015132
257015132
266716143
276616153
286616153
296516163
306416164
316317164

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:07 AM to 4:38 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:076:53
213.85:066:54
313.85:046:55
413.95:036:56
513.95:026:57
614.05:016:58
714.04:596:59
814.04:587:00
914.14:577:01
1014.14:567:02
1114.14:557:03
1214.24:547:04
1314.24:527:05
1414.34:517:06
1514.34:507:07
1614.34:497:08
1714.44:487:09
1814.44:477:10
1914.44:467:11
2014.44:467:12
2114.54:457:13
2214.54:447:14
2314.54:437:15
2414.64:427:16
2514.64:427:17
2614.64:417:18
2714.64:407:19
2814.74:407:20
2914.74:397:21
3014.74:387:21
3114.74:387:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.58 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
105.5Bright
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
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Scranton?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Scranton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Scranton in May

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

In May, Scranton sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Scranton 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 Scranton peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Scranton 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 Scranton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Nov 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Scranton?

Scranton sits at 41.4°N, 75.7°W, 755 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilkes-Barre, 16 mi away.

Topography around Scranton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Scranton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 732 ft around an average of 866 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,762 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,559 ft.

The land around Scranton is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
732 ft
10 miles
1,762 ft
50 miles
2,559 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Wilkes-Barre 16 mi · Back Mountain 18 mi · Hazleton 35 mi · Binghamton 49 mi · Vestal 51 mi · Whitehall Township 52 mi · Easton 55 mi · Allentown 56 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 Scranton (41.4092°, -75.6649°, elevation 755 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).