Truckee weather in May

In May, Truckee sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 2.6 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 53°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Truckee's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Truckee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
6th warmest
Overnight low
35°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.6 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:52 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
50%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
7.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Truckee is town in Nevada County, California, United States.

Density
187/km²
people per km²
Founded
1993

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 53°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical May day in Truckee reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 12°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15231
25232
35332
45332
55333
65433
75433
85433
95533
105534
115534
125534
135634
145635
155635
165635
175735
185736
195736
205836
215836
225937
235937
246037
256037
266038
276138
286138
296239
306239
316339

How May really feels in Truckee

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 21 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
21
wind chill below the day's low

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

Truckee weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°7.011.611.29.50.0
Feb40° / 24°6.611.711.510.50.0
Mar43° / 26°6.21211.611.70.5
Apr47° / 29°3.59.98.4131.6
May57° / 35°2.69.34.414.14.2
Jun69° / 44°1.04.80.914.77.7
Jul78° / 52°0.53.2014.58.6
Aug77° / 52°0.53.2013.58.7
Sep71° / 46°0.73.70.412.38.2
Oct60° / 37°2.05.22.2115.7
Nov46° / 28°3.98.57.59.81.3
Dec37° / 24°7.011.611.19.30.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
36040
46040
56040
66040
76040
85941
95842
105842
115842
125743
135743
145743
155743
165842
175743
185644
195644
205743
215743
225743
235842
245941
255941
266040
276139
286139
296238
306337
316436

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Truckee gets around 2.6 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12618
22617
32617
42616
52616
62716
72716
82816
92917
103017
113117
123217
133317
143317
153316
163416
173416
183415
193415
203414
213414
223413
233312
243212
253111
263010
27299
28299
29288
30278
31268

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 30 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 4:42 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:096:47
213.75:086:48
313.75:066:49
413.75:056:50
513.85:046:51
613.85:036:52
713.95:026:53
813.95:016:54
913.95:006:55
1014.04:586:56
1114.04:576:57
1214.04:566:58
1314.14:556:59
1414.14:547:00
1514.14:537:01
1614.14:527:01
1714.24:527:02
1814.24:517:03
1914.24:507:04
2014.34:497:05
2114.34:487:06
2214.34:487:07
2314.44:477:08
2414.44:467:09
2514.44:457:09
2614.44:457:10
2714.44:447:11
2814.54:447:12
2914.54:437:13
3014.54:427:13
3114.54:427:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 8.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 7.43 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.2Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.6Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Truckee

In seasonPeak

None of Truckee's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Truckee's rainy season runs November–April, 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 Truckee?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Truckee for sightseeing.

What to pack for Truckee in May

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

In May, Truckee sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 35°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 Truckee 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 Truckee peaks around June 21 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Truckee 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 Truckee is worst in August — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 16.6× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1679 µg/m³Dec 165 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May9Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul45Poor
Aug85Unhealthy
Sep34Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Truckee?

Truckee sits at 39.3°N, 120.2°W, 5,817 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Reno, 24 mi away.

Topography around Truckee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Truckee has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 994 ft around an average of 6,066 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,799 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,062 ft.

The land around Truckee is covered by trees (75%) within 2 miles, trees (85%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
994 ft
10 miles
3,799 ft
50 miles
10,062 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Reno 24 mi · Carson City 25 mi · Sparks 27 mi · Sun Valley 29 mi · Lake Tahoe 29 mi · Spanish Springs 34 mi · Fernley 53 mi · Cameron Park 63 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 Truckee (39.328°, -120.1833°, elevation 5,817 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).