Sioux City weather in May

In May, Sioux City sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 4.9 in of precipitation across 12.6 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sioux City's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sioux City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Precipitation
4.9 in
12.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:09 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
60%
10th clearest
Wind
10 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Sioux City is city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in Iowa, United States.

Density
547/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 66°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Sioux City reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 83°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)
16545
26545
36645
46646
56746
66747
76747
86847
96848
106948
116949
126949
137049
147050
157050
167151
177151
187151
197252
207252
217253
227353
237353
247354
257454
267455
277455
287555
297556
307556
317657

How May really feels in Sioux City

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.

Sioux City weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 13°0.94.74.39.20.0
Feb34° / 16°1.154.410.30.0
Mar47° / 27°2.273.211.61.6
Apr60° / 39°4.010.61.813.14.6
May71° / 51°4.912.60.114.46.2
Jun80° / 61°4.911.8015.16.3
Jul84° / 65°3.08.8014.85.8
Aug82° / 63°3.99.4013.76.6
Sep75° / 54°3.07.7012.37.4
Oct62° / 41°2.47.40.510.85.6
Nov46° / 28°1.65.42.59.61.5
Dec33° / 17°1.25.24.28.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74456
84456
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154654
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254654
264654
274654
284654
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sioux City gets around 4.9 in of rain and snow over 12.6 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
242
342
442
542
642
742
841
941
1040
1139
1239
1339
1439
1538
1638
1739
1839
1939
2039
2140
2240
2341
2442
2542
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 74% 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
390730
489830
588840
687940
7851041
8831151
9831151
10811261
11801361
12781471
13781471
14771571
15761581
16741682
17731692
18731692
197117102
207117102
216918112
226718123
236619123
246519133
256420133
266220144
276121144
286021154
295722165
305523175
315423176

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
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light 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 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:28 AM to 4:57 AM, and sunset from 7:18 PM to 7:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:287:18
213.95:277:19
313.95:257:20
414.05:247:21
514.05:227:22
614.05:217:23
714.15:207:24
814.15:197:26
914.25:177:27
1014.25:167:28
1114.25:157:29
1214.35:147:30
1314.35:137:31
1414.35:127:32
1514.45:117:33
1614.45:097:34
1714.45:087:35
1814.55:077:36
1914.55:067:37
2014.55:067:38
2114.65:057:39
2214.65:047:40
2314.65:037:41
2414.75:027:42
2514.75:017:43
2614.75:017:44
2714.85:007:45
2814.84:597:46
2914.84:597:47
3014.84:587:48
3114.94:577:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sioux City

In seasonPeak

In May, Sioux City sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Sioux City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Sioux City?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sioux City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sioux City in May

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

In May, Sioux City sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Sioux City in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sioux City peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sioux City?

Sioux City sits at 42.5°N, 96.4°W, 1,201 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 62 mi away.

Topography around Sioux City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sioux City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 1,152 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 ft.

The land around Sioux City is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (52%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
436 ft
50 miles
892 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Norfolk 62 mi · Fremont 74 mi · Sioux Falls 74 mi · Columbus 89 mi · Omaha 89 mi · Council Bluffs 90 mi · La Vista 93 mi · Papillion 95 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 Sioux City (42.5°, -96.4003°, elevation 1,201 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).