South Kingstown weather in May

In May, South Kingstown sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 South Kingstown's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see South Kingstown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:33 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

South Kingstown is town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States.

Founded
1722

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 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical May day in South Kingstown reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15747
25847
35848
45848
55848
65948
75949
85949
96049
106049
116050
126050
136150
146151
156151
166251
176251
186252
196252
206352
216353
226453
236453
246454
256554
266554
276555
286555
296655
306656
316656

How May really feels in South Kingstown

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.

South Kingstown weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 27°3.910.24.89.30.0
Feb38° / 27°3.494.110.30.0
Mar44° / 33°4.510.73.811.70.7
Apr53° / 42°4.0110.613.12.9
May62° / 51°3.410.9014.35.1
Jun71° / 61°3.59.5014.96.6
Jul77° / 67°2.99.5014.76.9
Aug76° / 67°3.69013.77.1
Sep71° / 61°3.88.8012.36.8
Oct61° / 51°4.59.60.110.95.2
Nov51° / 41°3.99.10.49.72.7
Dec43° / 33°4.710.82.99.10.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34258
44258
54258
64258
74258
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134159
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214159
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274456
284357
294357
304357
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

South Kingstown gets around 3.4 in of rain over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
636
737
837
937
1037
1138
1238
1338
1438
1537
1637
1737
1836
1936
2035
2135
2234
2333
2433
2532
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
197300
297300
396400
496400
596400
695500
795500
893610
993610
1092710
1192710
1291810
1390910
1489920
15881020
16871120
17861130
18851230
19821440
20811540
21791650
22761860
23741970
24722080
25692290
266723100
276624100
286226111
296027121
305828131
315728141

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

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 4:50 AM to 4:21 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:506:36
213.84:496:37
313.84:486:38
413.94:466:39
513.94:456:40
614.04:446:42
714.04:436:43
814.04:416:44
914.14:406:45
1014.14:396:46
1114.14:386:47
1214.24:376:48
1314.24:366:49
1414.34:356:50
1514.34:346:51
1614.34:336:52
1714.44:326:53
1814.44:316:54
1914.44:306:55
2014.54:296:56
2114.54:286:57
2214.54:276:58
2314.54:266:59
2414.64:267:00
2514.64:257:01
2614.64:247:02
2714.64:247:02
2814.74:237:03
2914.74:227:04
3014.74:227:05
3114.74:217:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.7 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for South Kingstown

In seasonPeak

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

South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit South Kingstown for sightseeing.

What to pack for South Kingstown in May

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

In May, South Kingstown sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near South Kingstown in May

The nearest coast averages about 51°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 29 to Aug 30 — about 1.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May51Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct62Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 10UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is South Kingstown?

South Kingstown sits at 41.4°N, 71.5°W, 197 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Narragansett, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around South Kingstown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around South Kingstown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 135 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,447 ft.

The land around South Kingstown is covered by trees (81%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and water (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (45%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
574 ft
50 miles
1,447 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Narragansett 3.7 mi · North Kingstown 7.5 mi · Newport 11 mi · Middletown 14 mi · Westerly 16 mi · West Warwick 17 mi · Portsmouth 18 mi · Warwick 19 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 South Kingstown (41.4472°, -71.5249°, elevation 197 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).