Westerly weather in May

In May, Westerly sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Westerly's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Westerly's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:34 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Westerly is town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States.

Founded
1661

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 60°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Westerly reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 74°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16047
26047
36047
46147
56148
66148
76248
86249
96249
106249
116349
126350
136350
146450
156450
166451
176451
186551
196551
206552
216652
226653
236653
246753
256753
266754
276854
286855
296855
306955
316956

How May really feels in Westerly

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.

Westerly weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 25°3.71059.40.0
Feb39° / 26°3.28.94.510.30.0
Mar45° / 33°4.310.63.811.71.0
Apr55° / 42°3.810.60.713.13.4
May64° / 51°3.310.8014.35.6
Jun73° / 60°3.610.1014.96.6
Jul80° / 67°3.110.3014.76.5
Aug78° / 66°3.99.8013.76.8
Sep72° / 59°3.88.8012.36.9
Oct62° / 49°4.29.20.110.95.4
Nov51° / 39°3.790.59.72.7
Dec43° / 31°4.510.43.29.10.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34258
44258
54159
64159
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134159
144159
154159
164159
174159
184060
194060
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274357
284258
294258
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Westerly gets around 3.3 in of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
335
435
535
635
735
836
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2036
2135
2235
2334
2434
2534
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
195410
295410
394510
494510
594510
693610
792620
891720
991720
1090820
1190820
1289920
1388930
14871030
15861130
16861130
17841240
18831340
19811450
20801550
21781660
22761770
23731881
24711991
25702091
266821101
276622111
286423121
296223132
306124132
316024142

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
257light breeze
267light breeze
277light breeze
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 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 4:52 AM to 4:23 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:526:37
213.84:506:38
313.84:496:39
413.94:486:40
513.94:476:42
614.04:456:43
714.04:446:44
814.04:436:45
914.14:426:46
1014.14:406:47
1114.14:396:48
1214.24:386:49
1314.24:376:50
1414.24:366:51
1514.34:356:52
1614.34:346:53
1714.34:336:54
1814.44:326:55
1914.44:316:56
2014.44:306:57
2114.54:296:58
2214.54:296:59
2314.54:287:00
2414.64:277:01
2514.64:267:02
2614.64:267:03
2714.64:257:03
2814.74:247:04
2914.74:247:05
3014.74:237:06
3114.74:237:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Westerly

In seasonPeak

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

Westerly 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 Westerly?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Westerly for sightseeing.

What to pack for Westerly in May

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

In May, Westerly sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Westerly in May

The nearest coast averages about 51°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 11 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 29 to Aug 30 — about 1.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May51Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct62Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in Westerly in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Westerly peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 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 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Westerly 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 Westerly is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Westerly?

Westerly sits at 41.4°N, 71.8°W, 36 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ledyard, 11 mi away.

Topography around Westerly

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Westerly has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 89 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,325 ft.

The land around Westerly is covered by trees (65%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) and water (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (48%) and water (45%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
574 ft
50 miles
1,325 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Ledyard 11 mi · New London 14 mi · Waterford 16 mi · Norwich 16 mi · South Kingstown 16 mi · Montville Center 18 mi · Narragansett 21 mi · Plainfield 21 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 Westerly (41.3776°, -71.8273°, elevation 36 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. 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).