Watertown weather in May

In May, Watertown sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Watertown's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watertown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
5th warmest
Overnight low
48°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:44 AM – 7:16 PM
Cloud cover
62%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Watertown is city in Jefferson County, New York, United States.

Density
1,104/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical May day in Watertown reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 12°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15743
25743
35844
45844
55845
65945
75945
86046
96046
106046
116046
126147
136147
146147
156248
166248
176248
186349
196349
206350
216450
226450
236451
246551
256552
266552
276652
286653
296653
306753
316754

How May really feels in Watertown

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.

Watertown 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° / 16°3.413.612.39.10.0
Feb29° / 16°2.8119.310.20.0
Mar37° / 24°3.212.17.411.60.1
Apr50° / 37°4.112.32.613.22.2
May62° / 48°3.4120.114.55.0
Jun71° / 59°4.012.2015.26.3
Jul76° / 64°4.213.2014.96.5
Aug75° / 62°3.812.5013.86.7
Sep68° / 55°3.810.1012.36.3
Oct56° / 44°4.613.50.310.83.5
Nov45° / 34°3.813.74.39.40.9
Dec34° / 24°3.81510.78.80.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34258
44258
54258
64357
74357
84258
94258
104357
114357
124357
134258
144258
154357
164357
174357
184258
194258
204258
214357
224357
234357
244258
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Watertown gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 12 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1402
2401
3401
4401
5401
6401
7401
8401
9401
10401
11390
12390
13390
14390
15380
16380
17380
18380
19380
20370
21370
22370
23370
24370
25380
26380
27390
28390
29400
30400
31400

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
197300
297300
396400
496400
595500
695500
795500
894600
994600
1093700
1193700
1292800
1391810
1491810
1590910
1689920
17881020
18861130
19861130
20841240
21811351
22801361
23781471
24771481
25761581
26731692
277216102
287017112
296918112
306718123
316519133

Wind in May

Winds average 7 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.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
37light breeze
47light breeze
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:03 AM to 4:31 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 7:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:036:59
214.05:027:00
314.05:007:01
414.14:597:02
514.14:577:03
614.14:567:05
714.24:557:06
814.24:537:07
914.34:527:08
1014.34:517:09
1114.44:497:11
1214.44:487:12
1314.44:477:13
1414.54:467:14
1514.54:457:15
1614.54:447:16
1714.64:427:17
1814.64:417:18
1914.74:407:20
2014.74:397:21
2114.74:387:22
2214.84:387:23
2314.84:377:24
2414.84:367:25
2514.84:357:26
2614.94:347:27
2714.94:337:28
2814.94:337:29
2915.04:327:30
3015.04:317:30
3115.04:317:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.84 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Watertown

In seasonPeak

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

Watertown sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Watertown?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Watertown for sightseeing.

What to pack for Watertown in May

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

In May, Watertown sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Watertown in May

The nearest coast averages about 45°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 24 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in March near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 14 to Sep 13 — about 2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May45Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul69Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep68Cool
Oct59Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Watertown 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 Watertown peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Watertown?

Watertown sits at 44.0°N, 75.9°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kingston, 34 mi away.

Topography around Watertown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watertown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 486 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,205 ft.

The land around Watertown is covered by trees (50%), grassland (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (53%), grassland (21%) and cropland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (59%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
2,205 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Kingston 34 mi · Brockville 44 mi · Oswego 47 mi · Greater Napanee 55 mi · Clay 56 mi · Cicero 56 mi · Rome 57 mi · Syracuse 65 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 Watertown (43.9748°, -75.9108°, elevation 466 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).