Sun Valley weather in May

In May, Sun Valley sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 6.8 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-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 41% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Sun Valley's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sun Valley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
5th warmest
Overnight low
42°
8th coldest
Precipitation
1.2 in
6.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:50 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
48%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Sun Valley is place in Washoe County, Nevada, USA.

Density
500/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 63°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical May day in Sun Valley reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 25°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16238
26338
36339
46439
56439
66439
76440
86440
96540
106540
116541
126541
136641
146641
156642
166642
176742
186742
196742
206743
216843
226843
236943
246944
256944
267044
277045
287145
297145
307146
317246

How May really feels in Sun 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.

Sun Valley weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 22°2.686.89.50.0
Feb43° / 24°2.38.57.310.40.6
Mar50° / 28°2.28611.72.4
Apr57° / 34°1.36.93.6134.4
May67° / 42°1.26.81.214.16.8
Jun78° / 50°0.63.50.214.78.1
Jul87° / 56°0.42.8014.56.1
Aug85° / 56°0.32.7013.66.6
Sep77° / 50°0.42.5012.38.6
Oct64° / 40°0.93.50.810.97.0
Nov50° / 29°1.45.73.69.82.6
Dec39° / 21°2.57.66.69.30.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36238
46238
56238
66238
76238
86238
96139
106139
116040
126139
136139
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216139
226139
236337
246337
256337
266436
276436
286436
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Sun Valley gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 6.8 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1205
2205
3205
4205
5205
6205
7205
8215
9215
10225
11225
12225
13235
14235
15235
16235
17234
18244
19244
20244
21243
22243
23243
24233
25232
26222
27222
28212
29212
30202
31192

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 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:07 AM to 4:40 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:076:46
213.75:066:47
313.75:046:48
413.85:036:49
513.85:026:50
613.85:016:51
713.95:006:52
813.94:586:53
913.94:576:54
1014.04:566:55
1114.04:556:56
1214.04:546:57
1314.14:536:58
1414.14:526:59
1514.14:517:00
1614.24:507:00
1714.24:497:01
1814.24:487:02
1914.34:487:03
2014.34:477:04
2114.34:467:05
2214.34:457:06
2314.44:447:07
2414.44:447:08
2514.44:437:09
2614.54:427:09
2714.54:427:10
2814.54:417:11
2914.54:417:12
3014.54:407:13
3114.64:407:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.4Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.4Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.6Intense
217.6Intense
227.6Intense
237.6Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.7Intense
287.8Intense
297.8Intense
307.8Intense
317.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Sun Valley?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Sun Valley in May

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

In May, Sun Valley sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 42°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Sun 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 Sun Valley peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Nov 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sun Valley 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 Valley is worst in July — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.5× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodPoorModerateGoodJul 2149 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul51Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct15Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sun Valley?

Sun Valley sits at 39.6°N, 119.8°W, 4,724 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sparks, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Sun Valley

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sun Valley has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,112 ft around an average of 4,898 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,911 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,779 ft.

The land around Sun Valley is covered by grassland (51%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, grassland (55%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 10 miles, and grassland (40%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,112 ft
10 miles
3,911 ft
50 miles
7,779 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sparks 4.3 mi · Reno 5.0 mi · Spanish Springs 5.0 mi · Fernley 28 mi · Truckee 29 mi · Carson City 30 mi · Lake Tahoe 47 mi · Susanville 73 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 Valley (39.5963°, -119.776°, elevation 4,724 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).