Waterville weather in May

In May, Waterville sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 22% 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 Waterville's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Waterville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
5th warmest
Overnight low
46°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
11 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
4:17 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Waterville is city in Maine, United States.

Density
447/km²
people per km²
Founded
1802

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 Waterville reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 16°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.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15742
25842
35842
45843
55943
65944
76044
86044
96044
106045
116145
126145
136146
146246
156246
166246
176347
186347
196347
206448
216448
226448
236449
246549
256549
266549
276550
286650
296650
306651
316751

How May really feels in Waterville

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.

Waterville 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
Jan28° / 12°3.18.96.890.0
Feb30° / 14°2.98.37.210.10.0
Mar38° / 23°3.610.26.111.60.1
Apr51° / 36°3.810.62.613.22.3
May62° / 46°3.2110.214.65.1
Jun71° / 56°3.811015.36.4
Jul77° / 62°3.19.90156.7
Aug76° / 61°2.99.3013.97.1
Sep68° / 53°3.38.2012.36.6
Oct56° / 42°4.410.10.410.73.9
Nov44° / 31°3.59.52.39.40.8
Dec33° / 20°4.010.76.98.70.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
64060
74060
83961
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
143862
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203763
213763
223763
233763
243763
253763
263763
273763
283763
293664
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Waterville gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 11 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1362
2362
3352
4352
5352
6351
7351
8351
9351
10351
11351
12351
13351
14351
15351
16351
17351
18350
19350
20350
21350
22350
23350
24350
25350
26350
27360
28360
29360
30360
31360

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
798200
897300
997300
1097300
1197300
1297300
1397300
1497300
1596400
1695410
1794510
1894510
1993610
2093610
2191720
2290820
2388930
24871030
25871030
26851140
27841240
28821350
29811351
30801451
31781561

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
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 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 4:37 AM to 4:04 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 7:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.04:376:35
214.04:356:36
314.14:346:37
414.14:326:38
514.14:316:40
614.24:296:41
714.24:286:42
814.34:276:43
914.34:256:45
1014.44:246:46
1114.44:236:47
1214.44:226:48
1314.54:206:49
1414.54:196:50
1514.64:186:52
1614.64:176:53
1714.64:166:54
1814.74:156:55
1914.74:146:56
2014.74:136:57
2114.84:126:58
2214.84:116:59
2314.84:107:00
2414.94:097:01
2514.94:087:02
2614.94:077:03
2715.04:067:04
2815.04:067:05
2915.04:057:06
3015.14:047:07
3115.14:047:08

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.35 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Waterville

In seasonPeak

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

Waterville 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 Waterville?

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 Waterville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Waterville in May

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

In May, Waterville sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Waterville in May

The nearest coast averages about 46°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 39 mi away) is warmest in August at about 58°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

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

30°40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr40Bracing
May46Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep57Bracing
Oct54Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index in Waterville 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 Waterville peaks around July 13 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 7Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Waterville?

Waterville sits at 44.6°N, 69.6°W, 108 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Augusta, 18 mi away.

Topography around Waterville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waterville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 394 ft around an average of 157 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,298 ft.

The land around Waterville is covered by trees (60%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
394 ft
10 miles
696 ft
50 miles
4,298 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Augusta 18 mi · Lewiston 42 mi · Auburn 43 mi · Bangor 45 mi · Brunswick 47 mi · Portland 69 mi · South Portland 70 mi · Westbrook 71 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 Waterville (44.552°, -69.6317°, elevation 108 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).