Sioux Falls weather in May: Sioux Falls, South Dakota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Sioux Falls in May has a normal high of 71°F and a normal low of 48°F, a daily mean of 59°F, rising from 65°F on the 1st to 76°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal May, 3.86 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 22°C and low of 9°C, 98 mm of precipitation and 0 cm of snow in May.
- NOAA stationSioux Falls Foss Field
- Station IDUSW00014944
- Location43.59°N 96.73°W
- Elevation1,430 ft (436 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population209,289
- Jan 27° 9°
- Feb 32° 13°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 59° 36°
- May 71° 48°
- Jun 81° 59°
- Jul 85° 63°
- Aug 83° 61°
- Sep 76° 52°
- Oct 61° 38°
- Nov 45° 25°
- Dec 32° 13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Sioux Falls in May?
The normal high is 71°F and the normal low 48°F, for a daily mean of 59.1°F. May is 11.9°F warmer than April and 10.8°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Sioux Falls and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 11°F, from 65°F on May 1 to 76°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.9°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 56°F and 62°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 41%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 65°F | 41°F | 37% | 22% |
| May 8 | 68°F | 44°F | 38% | 23% |
| May 15 | 71°F | 47°F | 39% | 23% |
| May 22 | 73°F | 50°F | 40% | 24% |
| May 31 | 76°F | 54°F | 41% | 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 | 65°F | 41°F | 37% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 2 | 65°F | 42°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 3 | 66°F | 42°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 4 | 66°F | 42°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 5 | 67°F | 43°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 6 | 67°F | 43°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 7 | 67°F | 44°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 8 | 68°F | 44°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 9 | 68°F | 45°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 10 | 69°F | 45°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 11 | 69°F | 45°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 12 | 69°F | 46°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 13 | 70°F | 46°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 14 | 70°F | 47°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 15 | 71°F | 47°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 16 | 71°F | 48°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 17 | 71°F | 48°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 18 | 72°F | 48°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 19 | 72°F | 49°F | 39% | 24% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 20 | 72°F | 49°F | 39% | 24% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 21 | 73°F | 50°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 22 | 73°F | 50°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 23 | 74°F | 51°F | 40% | 24% | 15 h |
| May 24 | 74°F | 51°F | 40% | 24% | 15 h |
| May 25 | 74°F | 51°F | 40% | 24% | 15 h |
| May 26 | 75°F | 52°F | 40% | 25% | 15 h |
| May 27 | 75°F | 52°F | 40% | 25% | 15 h |
| May 28 | 75°F | 53°F | 40% | 25% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 76°F | 53°F | 41% | 25% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 30 | 76°F | 53°F | 41% | 25% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 31 | 76°F | 54°F | 41% | 25% | 15 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 71°FMay average
- Normal low
- 48°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 3.86 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.1 inmonth total
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 14 h 10 min to 15 h 10 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 16
- Days at 80°F or more
- 6
- Sunshine
- 71%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014944; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Sioux Falls in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 39% on average, highest around May 30 (41%). In all, 3.86 in falls on 12 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Sioux Falls, 1 days reach 90°F, 1 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 0.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014944.
How humid and windy is Sioux Falls in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 73°F with 49% relative humidity and a dew point of 52°F; at 6 a.m. it is 57°F with 83% humidity. The wind averages 9.6 mph, most often from the south in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 57°F | 52°F | 83% | 7.2 mph | 45% |
| 9 a.m. | 65°F | 53°F | 66% | 10.8 mph | 52% |
| noon | 70°F | 53°F | 54% | 12.1 mph | 37% |
| 3 p.m. | 73°F | 52°F | 49% | 12.1 mph | 40% |
| 6 p.m. | 71°F | 52°F | 51% | 11.2 mph | 41% |
| 9 p.m. | 64°F | 52°F | 67% | 8.3 mph | 52% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014944. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for May in Sioux Falls?
The warmest May temperature on Sioux Falls's official record (since 1893) is 104°F, on May 30, 1934; the coldest is 17°F, on May 4, 1967. The wettest May brought 9.42 in (1898); the snowiest, 3.0 inches (1944).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 59.1°F: 2021 59.2°F (+0.1), 2022 60.1°F (+1.0), 2023 65.5°F (+6.4), 2024 60.4°F (+1.3), 2025 59.0°F (−0.1), 2026 59.2°F (+0.1). 5 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.2°F | +0.1°F | 2.04 in |
| 2022 | 60.1°F | +1.0°F | 4.30 in |
| 2023 | 65.5°F | +6.4°F | 1.28 in |
| 2024 | 60.4°F | +1.3°F | 4.64 in |
| 2025 | 59.0°F | −0.1°F | 2.20 in |
| 2026 | 59.2°F | +0.1°F | 4.20 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record FSDthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014944. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Sioux Falls compare across South Dakota?
Across the 100 places PlainClimate covers in South Dakota, May normal highs run from 60°F in Custer to 73°F in Wagner; Sioux Falls's is 71°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.