Telluride weather in May

In May, Telluride sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 27°F, with 2.1 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 55°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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Telluride's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Telluride's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
5th warmest
Overnight low
27°
8th coldest
Precipitation
2.1 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:06 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
52%
7th clearest
Wind
5 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Telluride is town and county seat of San Miguel County, Colorado, United States.

Density
1,255/km²
people per km²
Founded
1878

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 45°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical May day in Telluride reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 27°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 40°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 13°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14424
24424
34524
44524
54624
64625
74625
84725
94725
104726
114826
124826
134826
144926
154927
164927
175027
185027
195028
205128
215128
225228
235228
245328
255329
265329
275429
285429
295530
305530
315630

How May really feels in Telluride

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Telluride weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 2.21010.79.70.0
Feb30° / 10°2.311.312.210.50.0
Mar36° / 16°2.511.71211.70.0
Apr40° / 21°3.011.711.1130.1
May50° / 27°2.110.25.9142.3
Jun63° / 35°1.36.50.614.66.1
Jul68° / 43°4.213.9014.45.9
Aug66° / 42°4.516013.55.4
Sep59° / 35°2.611.40.912.34.6
Oct48° / 24°2.19.86.3111.8
Nov36° / 11°1.98.18.39.90.0
Dec28° / 2.09.510.39.40.0

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 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45248
55347
65347
75446
85446
95446
105545
115545
125545
135545
145545
155743
165743
175743
185743
195842
205941
215941
226040
236139
246238
256337
266535
276535
286634
296832
306832
317030

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Telluride gets around 2.1 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 32% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13731
23730
33630
43629
53528
63527
73426
83425
93324
103323
113322
123322
133321
143320
153320
163319
173318
183318
193317
203216
213215
223215
233214
243113
253112
263012
272911
282810
29279
30268
31257

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 24 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 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:226:55
213.65:216:56
313.65:206:57
413.75:186:58
513.75:176:59
613.75:167:00
713.85:157:01
813.85:147:02
913.85:137:02
1013.95:127:03
1113.95:117:04
1213.95:107:05
1314.05:097:06
1414.05:087:07
1514.05:077:08
1614.05:067:09
1714.15:057:10
1814.15:057:11
1914.15:047:11
2014.25:037:12
2114.25:027:13
2214.25:027:14
2314.25:017:15
2414.35:007:16
2514.35:007:16
2614.34:597:17
2714.34:587:18
2814.34:587:19
2914.44:577:19
3014.44:577:20
3114.44:567:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.75 kWh/m² to a high of 8.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.7Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.8Intense
177.8Intense
187.8Intense
197.8Intense
207.8Intense
217.9Intense
227.9Intense
237.9Intense
247.9Intense
258.0Intense
268.0Intense
278.0Intense
288.0Intense
298.1Intense
308.1Intense
318.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Telluride?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Telluride.

What to pack for Telluride in May

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

In May, Telluride sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 27°F. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layersun protectionrain gear

UV index in Telluride in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Telluride peaks around July 10 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 10UV 12Jan 1UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr7High
May10Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Telluride?

Telluride sits at 37.9°N, 107.8°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Montrose, 37 mi away.

Topography around Telluride

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Telluride has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,481 ft around an average of 10,089 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,365 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,862 ft.

The land around Telluride is covered by trees (80%) within 2 miles, trees (54%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,481 ft
10 miles
6,365 ft
50 miles
8,862 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainmoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Montrose 37 mi · Durango 46 mi · Farmington 86 mi · Clifton 87 mi · Grand Junction 88 mi · Aspen 102 mi · Moab 104 mi · Cañon City 144 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 Telluride (37.9375°, -107.8123°, elevation 0 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).