York weather in May

In May, York sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 77°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is York's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see York's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:57 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
64%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

York is city in and county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
3,180/km²
people per km²
Founded
1741

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 69°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical May day in York reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 85°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)
16850
26850
36950
46951
56951
66951
77052
87052
97052
107153
117153
127153
137153
147154
157254
167254
177255
187355
197355
207356
217456
227456
237557
247557
257558
267658
277658
287659
297759
307759
317760

How May really feels in York

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.

York weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 26°3.19.14.19.50.0
Feb42° / 27°2.88.83.910.40.4
Mar51° / 34°3.810.1311.72.6
Apr63° / 45°3.610.60.3135.4
May73° / 55°3.511.4014.26.4
Jun81° / 64°3.410.7014.86.0
Jul86° / 69°3.610.5014.55.0
Aug83° / 67°3.210.1013.65.7
Sep77° / 60°4.39.1012.36.9
Oct65° / 48°3.58.20.110.96.1
Nov53° / 38°3.08.10.69.83.3
Dec44° / 31°3.58.92.39.20.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74357
84357
94258
104159
114159
124159
134159
144159
154159
164060
174159
184159
194159
204060
214060
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284357
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

York gets around 3.5 in of rain over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
536
636
737
837
937
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1537
1637
1737
1837
1937
2037
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1831340
2821440
3801550
4801550
5781660
6761761
7751771
8741871
9731881
10731881
11711892
12711892
137018102
146918103
156818113
166618124
176618124
186418135
196218146
206218146
216018157
225818168
235618179
245618179
2553191810
2652191811
2752191811
2850201912
2949201912
3048201913
3147211913

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:14 AM to 4:46 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:146:54
213.75:136:55
313.75:116:56
413.85:106:57
513.85:096:58
613.95:086:59
713.95:077:00
813.95:057:01
914.05:047:02
1014.05:037:03
1114.05:027:04
1214.15:017:05
1314.15:007:06
1414.14:597:07
1514.24:587:08
1614.24:577:09
1714.24:567:10
1814.34:557:11
1914.34:547:12
2014.34:547:13
2114.44:537:14
2214.44:527:15
2314.44:517:16
2414.44:517:16
2514.54:507:17
2614.54:497:18
2714.54:497:19
2814.54:487:20
2914.64:477:21
3014.64:477:21
3114.64:467:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit York?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit York for sightseeing.

What to pack for York in May

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

In May, York sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in York 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 York peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in York 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 York is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1417 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is York?

York sits at 40.0°N, 76.7°W, 387 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hanover, 17 mi away.

Topography around York

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around York has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 676 ft around an average of 436 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 951 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,398 ft.

The land around York is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (29%) within 2 miles, trees (45%), grassland (25%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and cropland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
676 ft
10 miles
951 ft
50 miles
2,398 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hanover 17 mi · Lancaster 23 mi · Harrisburg 23 mi · Carlisle 29 mi · Westminster 30 mi · Lebanon 31 mi · Hunt Valley 32 mi · Cockeysville 34 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 York (39.9626°, -76.7277°, elevation 387 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).