South Valley weather in May

In May, South Valley sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 0.5 in of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 84°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is South Valley's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see South Valley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
0.5 in
2.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:08 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
36%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

South Valley is census designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States.

Density
526/km²
people per km²

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 75°F in the first days to 84°F by the end.

A typical May day in South Valley reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 68°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17448
27448
37549
47549
57549
67650
77650
87650
97751
107751
117751
127852
137852
147852
157953
167953
177953
188053
198054
208054
218054
228155
238155
248255
258255
268256
278356
288356
298457
308457
318558

How May really feels in South Valley

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 Valley weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 26°0.63.81.89.91.8
Feb53° / 31°0.53.61.110.73.7
Mar62° / 37°0.63.30.611.76.4
Apr69° / 44°0.52.40.312.98.0
May79° / 53°0.52.6013.88.1
Jun89° / 62°0.31.9014.35.4
Jul90° / 67°0.95.3014.14.6
Aug87° / 65°0.74.4013.35.5
Sep81° / 58°0.93.5012.27.7
Oct70° / 46°0.93.50.211.18.0
Nov56° / 34°0.63.10.610.24.9
Dec46° / 27°0.73.71.89.71.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% 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 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47624
57624
67624
77624
87624
97525
107525
117525
127525
137525
147525
157525
167426
177426
187426
197525
207525
217525
227624
237723
247723
257822
267921
278020
288020
298119
308218
318317

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

South Valley gets around 0.5 in of rain over 2.6 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 8% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
37
47
57
67
77
87
97
108
118
128
139
149
1510
1610
1710
1810
1910
2010
2110
2210
2310
249
259
269
278
288
297
307
316

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
117light breeze
127light breeze
137light breeze
147light breeze
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 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:22 AM to 4:59 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:226:46
213.45:216:46
313.55:206:47
413.55:196:48
513.55:186:49
613.55:176:50
713.65:166:51
813.65:156:51
913.65:146:52
1013.75:136:53
1113.75:126:54
1213.75:116:55
1313.85:106:56
1413.85:106:56
1513.85:096:57
1613.85:086:58
1713.95:076:59
1813.95:076:59
1913.95:067:00
2013.95:057:01
2114.05:047:02
2214.05:047:03
2314.05:037:03
2414.05:037:04
2514.05:027:05
2614.15:027:05
2714.15:017:06
2814.15:017:07
2914.15:007:08
3014.15:007:08
3114.24:597:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.89 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.7Intense
27.7Intense
37.7Intense
47.7Intense
57.7Intense
67.8Intense
77.8Intense
87.8Intense
97.8Intense
107.8Intense
117.8Intense
127.8Intense
137.8Intense
147.8Intense
157.8Intense
167.9Intense
177.9Intense
187.9Intense
197.9Intense
207.9Intense
217.9Intense
228.0Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
258.0Intense
268.1Intense
278.1Intense
288.1Intense
298.1Intense
308.2Intense
318.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit South Valley?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit South Valley for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for South Valley in May

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

In May, South Valley sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 53°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in South Valley 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 South Valley peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is South Valley?

South Valley sits at 35.0°N, 106.7°W, 4,925 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Albuquerque, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around South Valley

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around South Valley has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft around an average of 4,941 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,168 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,942 ft.

The land around South Valley is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and bare terrain (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (48%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (57%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
246 ft
10 miles
1,168 ft
50 miles
5,942 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Albuquerque 5.6 mi · Los Lunas 14 mi · Rio Rancho 16 mi · Enchanted Hills 23 mi · Santa Fe 63 mi · Gallup 122 mi · Farmington 147 mi · Alamogordo 152 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 Valley (35.01°, -106.6781°, elevation 4,925 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).