Traverse City weather in May

In May, Traverse City sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Traverse City's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Traverse City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
5th warmest
Overnight low
45°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:20 AM – 7:57 PM
Cloud cover
60%
5th clearest
Wind
8 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Traverse City is city in and seat of Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States.

Density
679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 57°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical May day in Traverse City reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 75°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)
15640
25740
35741
45841
55841
65842
75942
85942
95942
106043
116043
126043
136144
146144
156144
166244
176245
186245
196345
206346
216446
226446
236447
246547
256547
266548
276648
286648
296649
306749
316749

How May really feels in Traverse City

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.

Traverse City weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 17°2.111.813.990.0
Feb28° / 16°1.68.58.810.10.0
Mar38° / 23°2.18.76.211.60.1
Apr50° / 34°3.2113.513.22.3
May62° / 45°3.210.90.214.65.1
Jun71° / 55°3.110015.36.6
Jul76° / 61°3.3110156.9
Aug75° / 60°3.310.6013.97.0
Sep69° / 53°3.211.6012.36.1
Oct56° / 43°3.7140.410.73.4
Nov43° / 34°2.813.36.69.40.6
Dec34° / 26°2.413.313.38.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34456
44456
54555
64456
74357
84456
94456
104456
114456
124456
134456
144456
154456
164456
174555
184555
194555
204654
214753
224753
234852
244852
254951
264951
274951
285050
295050
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Traverse City gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 10.9 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1343
2343
3343
4342
5342
6352
7352
8351
9341
10341
11341
12341
13341
14341
15341
16341
17341
18341
19340
20340
21340
22340
23350
24350
25350
26350
27350
28350
29340
30340
31340

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
298200
398200
498200
598200
698200
797300
897300
996310
1096310
1196310
1295410
1395410
1495410
1594510
1694510
1792620
1892620
1991720
2090730
2189830
2289830
2387940
24861040
25861040
26861040
27851140
28841150
29831250
30831250
31811351

Wind in May

Winds average 8 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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
247light breeze
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:40 AM to 5:07 AM, and sunset from 7:39 PM to 8:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:407:39
214.05:397:40
314.15:377:42
414.15:367:43
514.25:347:44
614.25:337:45
714.35:317:47
814.35:307:48
914.35:297:49
1014.45:277:50
1114.45:267:51
1214.55:257:53
1314.55:247:54
1414.55:227:55
1514.65:217:56
1614.65:207:57
1714.75:197:58
1814.75:188:00
1914.75:178:01
2014.85:168:02
2114.85:158:03
2214.85:148:04
2314.95:138:05
2414.95:128:06
2514.95:118:07
2615.05:108:08
2715.05:108:09
2815.05:098:10
2915.05:088:11
3015.15:088:12
3115.15:078:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.99 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Traverse City?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Traverse City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Traverse City in May

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

In May, Traverse City sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Traverse City in May

The nearest coast averages about 40°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 68°F and coldest in March near 35°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr37Bracing
May40Bracing
Jun50Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug68Refreshing
Sep65Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov48Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Traverse City in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Traverse City peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Traverse City?

Traverse City sits at 44.8°N, 85.6°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mackinac Island, 89 mi away.

Topography around Traverse City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Traverse City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft around an average of 627 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 679 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,224 ft.

The land around Traverse City is covered by water (33%), trees (32%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (48%), water (25%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
404 ft
10 miles
679 ft
50 miles
1,224 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Mackinac Island 89 mi · Mount Pleasant 91 mi · Midland 104 mi · Muskegon 110 mi · Manitowoc 111 mi · Norton Shores 115 mi · Bellevue 115 mi · Bay City 118 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 Traverse City (44.7631°, -85.6206°, elevation 597 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).