Susanville weather in May

In May, Susanville sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 1.9 in of precipitation across 8.5 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Susanville's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Susanville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
40°
8th coldest
Precipitation
1.9 in
8.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:52 AM – 7:06 PM
Cloud cover
52%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Susanville is city in and county seat of Lassen County, California, United States.

Density
733/km²
people per km²
Founded
1900

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 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Susanville reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15936
26036
36037
46037
56137
66137
76238
86238
96238
106238
116339
126339
136339
146339
156440
166440
176440
186440
196541
206541
216541
226642
236642
246642
256742
266743
276843
286843
296843
306944
316944

How May really feels in Susanville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Susanville 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
Jan38° / 22°3.59.69.19.40.0
Feb41° / 24°3.39.69.110.40.1
Mar46° / 28°3.210.59.211.71.3
Apr53° / 32°2.09.46133.2
May64° / 40°1.98.51.814.26.0
Jun75° / 48°0.94.80.314.88.0
Jul85° / 55°0.42.7014.66.9
Aug84° / 54°0.42.6013.67.3
Sep75° / 48°0.630.112.38.5
Oct62° / 39°1.14.51.210.96.4
Nov47° / 29°2.27.55.59.81.6
Dec37° / 22°3.810.59.69.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35842
45743
55743
65743
75743
85644
95644
105644
115644
125644
135644
145644
155644
165644
175644
185644
195545
205644
215644
225743
235743
245842
255941
265941
275941
286040
296139
306139
316238

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Susanville gets around 1.9 in of rain and snow over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1259
2259
3259
4258
5258
6258
7258
8258
9268
10278
11278
12278
13288
14287
15287
16297
17296
18306
19306
20306
21305
22305
23305
24294
25294
26284
27283
28273
29273
30263
31253

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 42 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 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:09 AM to 4:41 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:096:51
213.75:086:52
313.85:066:53
413.85:056:54
513.95:046:55
613.95:036:56
713.95:016:57
814.05:006:58
914.04:596:59
1014.04:587:00
1114.14:577:01
1214.14:567:02
1314.14:557:03
1414.24:547:04
1514.24:537:05
1614.24:527:06
1714.34:517:07
1814.34:507:08
1914.34:497:09
2014.44:487:10
2114.44:477:11
2214.44:477:12
2314.44:467:13
2414.54:457:13
2514.54:447:14
2614.54:447:15
2714.54:437:16
2814.64:427:17
2914.64:427:18
3014.64:417:18
3114.64:417:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 8.22 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 7.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.1Intense
97.1Intense
107.1Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.2Intense
187.2Intense
197.2Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Susanville

In seasonPeak

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

Susanville's rainy season runs November–May, 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 Susanville?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Susanville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Susanville in May

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

In May, Susanville sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 40°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Susanville 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 Susanville peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 23UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Susanville 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 Susanville is worst in August — around 148 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 33.7× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodAug 16136 µg/m³Dec 195 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul55Poor
Aug148Unhealthy
Sep45Poor
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Susanville?

Susanville sits at 40.4°N, 120.7°W, 4,186 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Paradise, 68 mi away.

Topography around Susanville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Susanville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 735 ft around an average of 4,308 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,652 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,543 ft.

The land around Susanville is covered by grassland (58%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, trees (50%) and grassland (45%) within 10 miles, and trees (50%) and grassland (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
735 ft
10 miles
3,652 ft
50 miles
8,543 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Paradise 68 mi · Spanish Springs 73 mi · Sun Valley 73 mi · Reno 76 mi · Sparks 77 mi · Chico 79 mi · Oroville 79 mi · Truckee 79 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 Susanville (40.4163°, -120.653°, elevation 4,186 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).