Iowa City weather in May: Iowa City, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Iowa City in May has a normal high of 73°F and a normal low of 52°F, a daily mean of 63°F, rising from 68°F on the 1st to 79°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 13 days in a normal May, 4.48 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 23°C and low of 11°C, 114 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationIowa City Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014937
- Location41.63°N 91.54°W
- Elevation650 ft (198 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population76,710
- Jan 31° 15°
- Feb 36° 19°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 63° 40°
- May 73° 52°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 86° 66°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 78° 54°
- Oct 64° 42°
- Nov 49° 30°
- Dec 36° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Iowa City in May?
The normal high is 73°F and the normal low 52°F, for a daily mean of 62.6°F. May is 11.2°F warmer than April and 9.8°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Iowa City and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 11°F, from 68°F on May 1 to 79°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 60°F and 66°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 43%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 68°F | 46°F | 40% | 25% |
| May 8 | 71°F | 48°F | 41% | 26% |
| May 15 | 73°F | 51°F | 42% | 26% |
| May 22 | 76°F | 54°F | 42% | 27% |
| May 31 | 79°F | 58°F | 42% | 27% |
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 | 68°F | 46°F | 40% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 2 | 68°F | 46°F | 40% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 3 | 69°F | 46°F | 41% | 25% | 14 h |
| May 4 | 69°F | 47°F | 41% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 5 | 69°F | 47°F | 41% | 26% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 6 | 70°F | 48°F | 41% | 26% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 7 | 70°F | 48°F | 41% | 26% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 8 | 71°F | 48°F | 41% | 26% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 9 | 71°F | 49°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 10 | 71°F | 49°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 11 | 72°F | 50°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 12 | 72°F | 50°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 13 | 72°F | 51°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 14 | 73°F | 51°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 15 | 73°F | 51°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 16 | 73°F | 52°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 17 | 74°F | 52°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 18 | 74°F | 53°F | 42% | 26% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 19 | 75°F | 53°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 20 | 75°F | 53°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 21 | 75°F | 54°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 22 | 76°F | 54°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 23 | 76°F | 55°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 24 | 76°F | 55°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 25 | 77°F | 55°F | 43% | 27% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 26 | 77°F | 56°F | 43% | 27% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 27 | 77°F | 56°F | 43% | 27% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 28 | 78°F | 57°F | 43% | 27% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 29 | 78°F | 57°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 30 | 78°F | 57°F | 42% | 27% | 15 h |
| May 31 | 79°F | 58°F | 42% | 27% | 15 h |
- Normal high
- 73°FMay average
- Normal low
- 52°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 4.48 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 130.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 14 h to 15 hMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 20
- Days at 80°F or more
- 9
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014937; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Iowa City in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 42% on average, highest around May 25 (43%). In all, 4.48 in falls on 13 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Iowa City, 1 days reach 90°F and 1 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014937.
What are the records for May in Iowa City?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1948) is 98°F, on May 28, 2018; the coldest is 24°F, on May 3, 2005. The wettest May brought 11.81 in (1996).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 62.6°F: 2021 60.7°F (−1.9), 2022 64.7°F (+2.1), 2023 64.8°F (+2.2), 2024 64.9°F (+2.3), 2025 61.8°F (−0.8), 2026 62.9°F (+0.3). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60.7°F | −1.9°F | 4.33 in |
| 2022 | 64.7°F | +2.1°F | 2.41 in |
| 2023 | 64.8°F | +2.2°F | 2.57 in |
| 2024 | 64.9°F | +2.3°F | 5.65 in |
| 2025 | 61.8°F | −0.8°F | 2.96 in |
| 2026 | 62.9°F | +0.3°F | 1.70 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014937; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014937. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Iowa City compare across Iowa?
Across the 132 places PlainClimate covers in Iowa, May normal highs run from 66°F in Northwood to 74°F in Glenwood; Iowa City's is 73°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.