Harrisburg weather in May: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Harrisburg in May has a normal high of 75°F and a normal low of 53°F, a daily mean of 64°F, rising from 71°F on the 1st to 79°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 14 days in a normal May, 3.48 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 24°C and low of 12°C, 88 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationHarrisburg Capitol Cy Airport
- Station IDUSW00014751
- Location40.22°N 76.85°W
- Elevation340 ft (104 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population50,649
- Jan 40° 25°
- Feb 43° 26°
- Mar 53° 34°
- Apr 65° 43°
- May 75° 53°
- Jun 83° 63°
- Jul 88° 67°
- Aug 85° 66°
- Sep 79° 58°
- Oct 67° 47°
- Nov 55° 37°
- Dec 44° 30°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Harrisburg in May?
The normal high is 75°F and the normal low 53°F, for a daily mean of 64.0°F. May is 9.9°F warmer than April and 9.0°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Harrisburg and the 7th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 8°F, from 71°F on May 1 to 79°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 61°F and 67°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 45%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 71°F | 48°F | 43% | 25% |
| May 8 | 73°F | 51°F | 44% | 25% |
| May 15 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 25% |
| May 22 | 76°F | 55°F | 44% | 25% |
| May 31 | 79°F | 58°F | 43% | 25% |
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 71°F | 48°F | 43% | 25% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 2 | 71°F | 49°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 3 | 71°F | 49°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 4 | 72°F | 49°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 5 | 72°F | 49°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 6 | 72°F | 50°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 7 | 72°F | 50°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 8 | 73°F | 51°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 9 | 73°F | 51°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 10 | 73°F | 51°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 11 | 73°F | 52°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 12 | 74°F | 52°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 13 | 74°F | 52°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 14 | 74°F | 53°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 15 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 16 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 17 | 75°F | 54°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 18 | 75°F | 54°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 19 | 76°F | 54°F | 45% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 20 | 76°F | 55°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 21 | 76°F | 55°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 22 | 76°F | 55°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 23 | 77°F | 56°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 24 | 77°F | 56°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 25 | 77°F | 56°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 26 | 77°F | 57°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 27 | 78°F | 57°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 28 | 78°F | 57°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 29 | 78°F | 58°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 30 | 79°F | 58°F | 44% | 25% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 31 | 79°F | 58°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 75°FMay average
- Normal low
- 53°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 3.48 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 140.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2
- Daylight
- 13 h 50 min to 14 h 50 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 21
- Days at 80°F or more
- 10
- Sunshine
- 69%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014751; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Harrisburg in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 44% on average, highest around May 15 (45%). In all, 3.48 in falls on 14 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Harrisburg, 2 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014751.
What are the records for May in Harrisburg?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1939) is 97°F, on May 31, 1939; the coldest is 31°F, on May 11, 1966. The wettest May brought 9.71 in (1989).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 64.0°F: 2021 62.2°F (−1.8), 2022 67.7°F (+3.7), 2023 62.0°F (−2.0), 2024 68.1°F (+4.1), 2025 64.2°F (+0.2), 2026 61.5°F (−2.5). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.2°F | −1.8°F | 3.35 in |
| 2022 | 67.7°F | +3.7°F | 5.68 in |
| 2023 | 62.0°F | −2.0°F | 0.20 in |
| 2024 | 68.1°F | +4.1°F | 3.76 in |
| 2025 | 64.2°F | +0.2°F | 9.27 in |
| 2026 | 61.5°F | −2.5°F | 2.57 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014751; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014751. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Harrisburg compare across Pennsylvania?
Across the 108 places PlainClimate covers in Pennsylvania, May normal highs run from 65°F in Laporte to 75°F in Phoenixville; Harrisburg's is 75°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.