New Bedford weather in May: New Bedford, Massachusetts: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
New Bedford in May has a normal high of 67°F and a normal low of 46°F, a daily mean of 57°F, rising from 63°F on the 1st to 72°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 13 days in a normal May, 3.29 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 20°C and low of 8°C, 84 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationNew Bedford Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00094726
- Location41.68°N 70.96°W
- Elevation80 ft (24 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population101,318
- Jan 39° 21°
- Feb 41° 22°
- Mar 47° 28°
- Apr 57° 36°
- May 67° 46°
- Jun 76° 55°
- Jul 83° 62°
- Aug 81° 60°
- Sep 74° 52°
- Oct 64° 42°
- Nov 54° 33°
- Dec 44° 26°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is New Bedford in May?
The normal high is 67°F and the normal low 46°F, for a daily mean of 56.7°F. May is 9.8°F warmer than April and 9.0°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in New Bedford and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 9°F, from 63°F on May 1 to 72°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.5°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 54°F and 59°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 | 63°F | 42°F | 42% | 23% |
| May 8 | 65°F | 44°F | 42% | 22% |
| May 15 | 67°F | 46°F | 43% | 22% |
| May 22 | 69°F | 48°F | 43% | 23% |
| May 31 | 72°F | 50°F | 42% | 22% |
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 | 63°F | 42°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 2 | 63°F | 42°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 3 | 64°F | 42°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 4 | 64°F | 42°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 5 | 64°F | 43°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 6 | 65°F | 43°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 7 | 65°F | 43°F | 42% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 8 | 65°F | 44°F | 42% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 9 | 66°F | 44°F | 42% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 10 | 66°F | 44°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 11 | 66°F | 45°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 12 | 66°F | 45°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 13 | 67°F | 45°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 14 | 67°F | 46°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 15 | 67°F | 46°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 16 | 68°F | 46°F | 43% | 22% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 17 | 68°F | 46°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 18 | 68°F | 47°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 19 | 68°F | 47°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 20 | 69°F | 47°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 21 | 69°F | 48°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 22 | 69°F | 48°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 23 | 69°F | 48°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 24 | 70°F | 48°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 25 | 70°F | 49°F | 43% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 26 | 70°F | 49°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 27 | 70°F | 49°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 28 | 71°F | 50°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 29 | 71°F | 50°F | 42% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 30 | 71°F | 50°F | 42% | 22% | 15 h |
| May 31 | 72°F | 50°F | 42% | 22% | 15 h |
- Normal high
- 67°FMay average
- Normal low
- 46°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 3.29 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 130.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 14 h to 15 hMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 11
- Days at 80°F or more
- 3
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094726; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in New Bedford in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 42% on average, highest around May 15 (43%). In all, 3.29 in falls on 13 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in New Bedford, 1 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094726.
What are the records for May in New Bedford?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1996) is 95°F, on May 26, 2010; the coldest is 26°F, on May 18, 2023. The wettest May brought 7.66 in (2024).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 56.7°F: 2021 57.2°F (+0.5), 2022 59.1°F (+2.4), 2023 53.5°F (−3.2), 2024 58.6°F (+1.9), 2025 60.1°F (+3.4), 2026 57.1°F (+0.4). 5 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.2°F | +0.5°F | 2.27 in |
| 2022 | 59.1°F | +2.4°F | 1.09 in |
| 2023 | 53.5°F | −3.2°F | 2.06 in |
| 2024 | 58.6°F | +1.9°F | 7.66 in |
| 2025 | 60.1°F | +3.4°F | 6.54 in |
| 2026 | 57.1°F | +0.4°F | 2.47 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00094726; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094726. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in New Bedford compare across Massachusetts?
Across the 35 places PlainClimate covers in Massachusetts, May normal highs run from 61°F in Nantucket to 73°F in Maynard; New Bedford's is 67°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.