May is one of the warmer months of the year in Poughkeepsie, with average highs near 20.1°C and lows around 8.5°C (mean 14.3°C). It is about average for rainfall, averaging 109 mm of rainfall and 79% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Poughkeepsie. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Poughkeepsie was 2015 — when the month averaged 17°C — while the coldest was 1997 at 11.6°C. Typical May days reach 20.1°C with nights near 8.5°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.4°C per decade.
May is about average for rainfall in Poughkeepsie, averaging 109 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1989 with 275 mm, while the driest was 2007 at 40 mm.
Relative humidity in Poughkeepsie during May averages 79%. The most humid May was 2011 at 84%, and the least humid was 2023 at 73%.
May receives about 5.4 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Poughkeepsie. The sunniest May was 2023 at 6.8 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 1984 at 4.1.
Average wind speed in Poughkeepsie during May is 0.2 m/s. The windiest Mays were 2020, 2021 and 2023, among others at 0.2 m/s, while the calmest were 2022, 2024 and 2025, among others at 0.1 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 14.0°C | 13.7°C | 14.0°C | 15.3°C | 14.7°C | +0.7°C |
| Avg High | 19.9°C | 19.6°C | 19.8°C | 20.9°C | 20.4°C | +0.5°C |
| Avg Low | 8.0°C | 7.7°C | 8.2°C | 9.7°C | 8.9°C | +0.9°C |
| Avg Rain | 137 mm | 102 mm | 97 mm | 105 mm | 107 mm | -31 mm |
May temperatures in Poughkeepsie have risen by about 1.3°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of -1.4°C (1986) to a record high of 31°C (2022).
Rainfall in May is about average for rainfall, averaging 109 mm, with a wettest year of 275 mm.
A good time to visit Poughkeepsie
May is a good time to visit Poughkeepsie, with days averaging 20.1°C and nights around 8.5°C (mean 14.3°C, warmer than Poughkeepsie's yearly average) and higher rainfall. August and July are marginally more temperate, but May still suits most travellers.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19.9°C | 14.9°C | 9.8°C | 25.9°C | 4.3°C | 192 mm | 82% | 0.1 m/s | 4.5 |
| 2024 | 21.9°C | 16.6°C | 11.2°C | 29.8°C | 5.7°C | 115 mm | 81% | 0.1 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2023 | 20.2°C | 13.9°C | 7.5°C | 27.0°C | 0.0°C | 45 mm | 73% | 0.2 m/s | 6.8 |
| 2022 | 21.6°C | 15.5°C | 9.4°C | 31.0°C | 1.6°C | 88 mm | 79% | 0.1 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2021 | 19.9°C | 14.2°C | 8.6°C | 29.0°C | 1.9°C | 132 mm | 76% | 0.2 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2020 | 18.7°C | 12.9°C | 7.0°C | 26.4°C | -1.2°C | 67 mm | 76% | 0.2 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2019 | 19.6°C | 14.4°C | 9.1°C | 27.6°C | 3.6°C | 142 mm | 82% | 0.2 m/s | 5 |
| 2018 | 22.3°C | 16.7°C | 11.0°C | 30.5°C | 1.7°C | 82 mm | 80% | 0.1 m/s | 5.2 |
| 2017 | 18.7°C | 13.5°C | 8.3°C | 29.9°C | 1.6°C | 141 mm | 80% | 0.2 m/s | 4.9 |
| 2016 | 19.7°C | 14.3°C | 8.9°C | 30.2°C | 2.2°C | 85 mm | 79% | 0.2 m/s | 5.1 |
| 2015 🔥 | 23.5°C | 17.0°C | 10.5°C | 28.5°C | 3.1°C | 47 mm | 74% | 0.1 m/s | 6.1 |
| 2014 | 20.3°C | 14.7°C | 9.1°C | 26.8°C | 2.8°C | 98 mm | 80% | 0.2 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2013 | 20.3°C | 14.5°C | 8.6°C | 30.2°C | 0.0°C | 124 mm | 79% | 0.2 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2012 | 22.1°C | 16.8°C | 11.6°C | 29.7°C | 4.5°C | 124 mm | 82% | 0.1 m/s | 4.9 |
| 2011 | 20.9°C | 15.6°C | 10.2°C | 29.1°C | 2.9°C | 142 mm | 84% | 0.1 m/s | 5 |
| 2010 | 21.8°C | 15.6°C | 9.5°C | 30.5°C | -0.1°C | 68 mm | 78% | 0.1 m/s | 6 |
| 2009 | 20.4°C | 14.7°C | 8.9°C | 27.2°C | 1.6°C | 116 mm | 78% | 0.2 m/s | 5 |
| 2008 | 18.5°C | 12.7°C | 6.9°C | 26.6°C | 1.4°C | 81 mm | 77% | 0.2 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2007 | 21.8°C | 15.2°C | 8.6°C | 30.3°C | 2.8°C | 40 mm | 76% | 0.1 m/s | 6.6 |
| 2006 | 19.9°C | 14.3°C | 8.7°C | 29.5°C | 2.3°C | 121 mm | 79% | 0.2 m/s | 5.1 |
| 2005 | 17.6°C | 11.9°C | 6.3°C | 24.9°C | 0.5°C | 47 mm | 78% | 0.2 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2004 | 22.0°C | 16.0°C | 10.1°C | 27.9°C | 1.5°C | 109 mm | 81% | 0.2 m/s | 5.4 |
| 2003 | 18.1°C | 12.9°C | 7.7°C | 24.2°C | 3.1°C | 127 mm | 82% | 0.1 m/s | 4.5 |
| 2002 | 19.0°C | 12.9°C | 6.8°C | 26.4°C | -0.5°C | 134 mm | 74% | 0.2 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2001 | 20.8°C | 14.8°C | 8.8°C | 30.3°C | 3.3°C | 79 mm | 75% | 0.1 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2000 | 20.0°C | 14.4°C | 8.8°C | 29.4°C | 1.3°C | 119 mm | 81% | 0.1 m/s | 5.2 |
| 1999 | 21.0°C | 14.7°C | 8.4°C | 30.0°C | 2.4°C | 96 mm | 75% | 0.2 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1998 | 21.4°C | 15.8°C | 10.2°C | 27.4°C | 1.4°C | 175 mm | 82% | 0.1 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1997 ❄️ | 17.5°C | 11.6°C | 5.7°C | 25.5°C | -0.5°C | 87 mm | 76% | 0.2 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1996 | 18.2°C | 12.3°C | 6.4°C | 29.1°C | -1.4°C | 81 mm | 79% | 0.2 m/s | 5.2 |
| 1995 | 18.5°C | 12.9°C | 7.4°C | 26.1°C | 1.3°C | 60 mm | 77% | 0.2 m/s | 4.9 |
| 1994 | 19.0°C | 12.9°C | 6.9°C | 27.8°C | 1.1°C | 91 mm | 78% | 0.2 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1993 | 20.7°C | 14.5°C | 8.4°C | 27.3°C | 4.5°C | 43 mm | 77% | 0.2 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1992 | 19.3°C | 13.0°C | 6.7°C | 27.7°C | -0.2°C | 105 mm | 77% | 0.2 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1991 | 22.9°C | 16.9°C | 10.8°C | 30.4°C | 4.5°C | 93 mm | 79% | 0.1 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1990 | 17.6°C | 12.1°C | 6.5°C | 23.0°C | 1.2°C | 190 mm | 80% | 0.2 m/s | 5 |
| 1989 🌧️ | 19.4°C | 13.8°C | 8.1°C | 26.4°C | 2.0°C | 275 mm | 83% | 0.2 m/s | 4.8 |
| 1988 | 20.0°C | 14.3°C | 8.6°C | 27.3°C | 2.0°C | 126 mm | 82% | 0.1 m/s | 5.2 |
| 1987 | 19.8°C | 13.9°C | 7.9°C | 28.9°C | 1.1°C | 57 mm | 81% | 0.1 m/s | 5.3 |
| 1986 | 21.1°C | 15.0°C | 9.0°C | 27.9°C | -1.4°C | 59 mm | 79% | 0.2 m/s | 6.2 |
| 1985 | 21.3°C | 15.0°C | 8.8°C | 27.5°C | -0.3°C | 134 mm | 74% | 0.2 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1984 | 17.8°C | 12.3°C | 6.8°C | 25.4°C | 1.3°C | 265 mm | 82% | 0.2 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1983 | 17.9°C | 12.4°C | 6.8°C | 24.3°C | -0.3°C | 133 mm | 83% | 0.2 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 20.8°C | 14.8°C | 8.8°C | 25.4°C | 3.4°C | 75 mm | 79% | 0.1 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 20.6°C | 14.1°C | 7.5°C | 26.8°C | 0.4°C | 113 mm | 75% | 0.2 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 20.1°C with lows near 8.5°C (mean 14.3°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 109 mm of rainfall in Poughkeepsie, about average for rainfall. The wettest on record was 275 mm in 1989.
The hottest May reached 31°C in 2022. The coldest dipped to -1.4°C in 1986.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.3°C. Daytime highs moved from 19.7°C to 20.7°C and overnight lows from 7.7°C to 9.3°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Poughkeepsie and about average for rainfall, so plan for around 20.1°C daytime highs and 8.5°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Poughkeepsie, averaging 14.3°C.
For May in Poughkeepsie, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 20.1°C and lows of 8.5°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in May averages 79% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 0.2 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 0.2 m/s (1981).
The wettest May on record was 1989 with 275 mm. On average, May sees 109 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Poughkeepsie behaves each May, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for May specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
