University Place weather in May

In May, University Place sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 2.4 in of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is University Place's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see University Place's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
5th warmest
Overnight low
50°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.4 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
4:40 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
66%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

University Place is city in Pierce County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,480/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 61°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical May day in University Place reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16047
26047
36047
46147
56148
66148
76248
86248
96249
106249
116249
126349
136349
146350
156350
166350
176450
186450
196451
206451
216451
226451
236551
246551
256551
266552
276552
286552
296552
306652
316652

University Place weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 39°6.517.11.58.71.1
Feb49° / 40°4.513.41.3101.6
Mar52° / 41°5.216.50.411.62.3
Apr57° / 45°3.913.6013.33.6
May63° / 50°2.410.1014.85.5
Jun68° / 54°1.67015.66.7
Jul74° / 58°0.62.9015.38.3
Aug75° / 59°0.940148.2
Sep69° / 55°2.07.1012.47.0
Oct60° / 49°4.412.6010.64.4
Nov51° / 43°7.2170.39.12.0
Dec46° / 39°6.816.61.38.31.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23862
33862
43862
53862
63862
73862
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133763
143664
153565
163565
173466
183466
193466
203466
213466
223466
233466
243466
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

University Place gets around 2.4 in of rain over 10.1 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 32% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
236
335
435
534
634
734
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2032
2132
2232
2331
2431
2530
2630
2729
2829
2928
3028
3128

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129820
139820
149820
159820
169730
179730
189730
199640
209640
219550
229550
239460
249361
259271
269271
279271
289181
299181
309091
319091

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:02 AM to 4:26 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:027:12
214.25:017:14
314.34:597:15
414.34:587:17
514.44:567:18
614.44:547:19
714.54:537:21
814.54:517:22
914.64:507:23
1014.64:487:25
1114.64:477:26
1214.74:467:27
1314.74:447:29
1414.84:437:30
1514.84:427:31
1614.94:407:32
1714.94:397:34
1814.94:387:35
1915.04:377:36
2015.04:367:37
2115.14:357:39
2215.14:347:40
2315.14:337:41
2415.24:327:42
2515.24:317:43
2615.24:307:44
2715.34:297:45
2815.34:287:46
2915.34:277:48
3015.44:267:49
3115.44:267:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for University Place

In seasonPeak

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

University Place's rainy season runs October–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 University Place?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit University Place for sightseeing.

What to pack for University Place in May

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

In May, University Place sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in University Place 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 University Place peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in University Place 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 University Place is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodSep 1322 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is University Place?

University Place sits at 47.2°N, 122.6°W, 207 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lakewood, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around University Place

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around University Place has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 ft around an average of 197 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 558 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14,403 ft.

The land around University Place is covered by trees (37%), water (33%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (41%) and water (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
502 ft
10 miles
558 ft
50 miles
14,403 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Lakewood 4.3 mi · Tacoma 5.0 mi · Parkland 8.1 mi · Spanaway 11 mi · Puyallup 12 mi · Federal Way 12 mi · Frederickson 13 mi · South Hill 15 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 University Place (47.2356°, -122.5504°, elevation 207 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).