Sun Prairie weather in May

In May, Sun Prairie sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 72°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 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sun Prairie's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sun Prairie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
5th warmest
Overnight low
49°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
12.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:39 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Sun Prairie is third-class city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
1,038/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 72°F by the end.

A typical May day in Sun Prairie reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 81°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 12°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16244
26344
36344
46345
56445
66446
76446
86546
96547
106647
116647
126647
136748
146748
156748
166849
176849
186949
196950
206950
217051
227051
237051
247152
257152
267152
277253
287253
297253
307354
317354

How May really feels in Sun Prairie

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.

Sun Prairie weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 13°1.67.66.69.20.0
Feb31° / 16°1.56.75.510.20.0
Mar43° / 26°2.48.93.611.60.8
Apr56° / 38°3.912.41.913.13.5
May68° / 49°3.912.30.114.45.8
Jun77° / 59°4.311.8015.16.4
Jul81° / 63°3.49.9014.96.5
Aug79° / 61°3.710.3013.86.7
Sep72° / 53°3.19012.36.9
Oct59° / 41°2.98.90.310.84.5
Nov44° / 30°2.27.92.29.50.9
Dec32° / 19°1.97.55.28.90.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43565
53664
63763
73763
83763
93763
103763
113862
123862
133961
143961
153961
164060
174060
184159
194159
204159
214258
224258
234258
244357
254258
264357
274258
284258
294357
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Sun Prairie gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 12.3 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 (%)Snow chance (%)
1412
2412
3411
4411
5421
6421
7421
8421
9421
10420
11420
12420
13410
14410
15410
16400
17400
18390
19380
20380
21380
22370
23370
24370
25370
26380
27380
28380
29380
30390
31390

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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
194510
293610
392620
492620
591720
690730
790730
888741
987841
1087841
1186851
1286851
1386851
1485861
1583962
1683962
1782972
1881973
19801073
20781084
21781084
22751195
23741295
24741295
257113106
267014106
276915106
286815116
296716116
306517117
316417127

Wind in May

Winds average 8 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
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 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 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:58 AM to 4:27 AM, and sunset from 6:50 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:586:50
213.94:566:51
314.04:556:53
414.04:546:54
514.04:526:55
614.14:516:56
714.14:506:57
814.24:486:58
914.24:477:00
1014.24:467:01
1114.34:457:02
1214.34:437:03
1314.44:427:04
1414.44:417:05
1514.44:407:06
1614.54:397:07
1714.54:387:08
1814.54:377:09
1914.64:367:10
2014.64:357:12
2114.64:347:13
2214.74:337:14
2314.74:327:15
2414.74:317:16
2514.84:317:17
2614.84:307:17
2714.84:297:18
2814.84:287:19
2914.94:287:20
3014.94:277:21
3114.94:277:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sun Prairie?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Sun Prairie for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sun Prairie in May

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

In May, Sun Prairie sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Sun Prairie 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 Sun Prairie peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sun Prairie 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 Sun Prairie is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Oct 248 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sun Prairie?

Sun Prairie sits at 43.2°N, 89.2°W, 958 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Madison, 12 mi away.

Topography around Sun Prairie

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sun Prairie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 971 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,043 ft.

The land around Sun Prairie is covered by cropland (32%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (53%) within 10 miles, and cropland (48%) and trees (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
269 ft
50 miles
1,043 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Madison 12 mi · Middleton 16 mi · Fitchburg 20 mi · Watertown 24 mi · Beaver Dam 27 mi · Janesville 36 mi · Oconomowoc 37 mi · Beloit 48 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 Sun Prairie (43.1836°, -89.2137°, elevation 958 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).