Watertown weather in May: Watertown, South Dakota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Watertown in May has a normal high of 67°F and a normal low of 45°F, a daily mean of 56°F, rising from 61°F on the 1st to 72°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal May, 2.87 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 19°C and low of 7°C, 73 mm of precipitation and 0 cm of snow in May.
- NOAA stationWatertown Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00014946
- Location44.90°N 97.15°W
- Elevation1,748 ft (533 m)
- Population23,492
- Jan 21° 3°
- Feb 26° 7°
- Mar 39° 20°
- Apr 54° 32°
- May 67° 45°
- Jun 77° 55°
- Jul 82° 60°
- Aug 80° 58°
- Sep 72° 49°
- Oct 56° 35°
- Nov 40° 21°
- Dec 26° 9°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Watertown in May?
The normal high is 67°F and the normal low 45°F, for a daily mean of 55.7°F. May is 12.9°F warmer than April and 10.4°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Watertown and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 11°F, from 61°F on May 1 to 72°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 53°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 39%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 61°F | 38°F | 34% | 19% |
| May 8 | 64°F | 41°F | 36% | 20% |
| May 15 | 67°F | 44°F | 36% | 20% |
| May 22 | 69°F | 47°F | 38% | 22% |
| May 31 | 72°F | 51°F | 39% | 23% |
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 | 61°F | 38°F | 34% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 2 | 62°F | 38°F | 35% | 19% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 3 | 62°F | 39°F | 35% | 19% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 4 | 62°F | 39°F | 35% | 19% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 5 | 63°F | 40°F | 35% | 20% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 6 | 63°F | 40°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 7 | 64°F | 41°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 8 | 64°F | 41°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 9 | 64°F | 42°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 10 | 65°F | 42°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 11 | 65°F | 42°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 12 | 66°F | 43°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 13 | 66°F | 43°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 14 | 66°F | 44°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 15 | 67°F | 44°F | 36% | 20% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 16 | 67°F | 45°F | 37% | 21% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 17 | 67°F | 45°F | 37% | 21% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 18 | 68°F | 46°F | 37% | 21% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 19 | 68°F | 46°F | 37% | 21% | 15 h |
| May 20 | 69°F | 46°F | 37% | 21% | 15 h |
| May 21 | 69°F | 47°F | 38% | 21% | 15 h |
| May 22 | 69°F | 47°F | 38% | 22% | 15 h |
| May 23 | 70°F | 48°F | 38% | 22% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 70°F | 48°F | 38% | 22% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 70°F | 48°F | 38% | 22% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 71°F | 49°F | 38% | 22% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 71°F | 49°F | 38% | 23% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 28 | 71°F | 50°F | 38% | 23% | 15 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 72°F | 50°F | 38% | 23% | 15 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 72°F | 50°F | 39% | 23% | 15 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 72°F | 51°F | 39% | 23% | 15 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 67°FMay average
- Normal low
- 45°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 2.87 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.1 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 2
- Daylight
- 14 h 10 min to 15 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 14
- Days at 80°F or more
- 5
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014946; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Watertown in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 37% on average, highest around May 31 (39%). In all, 2.87 in falls on 11 days of a normal May.
In a normal May in Watertown, 2 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 0.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014946.
How humid and windy is Watertown in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 70°F with 50% relative humidity and a dew point of 50°F; at 6 a.m. it is 54°F with 84% humidity. The wind averages 10.0 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 54°F | 49°F | 84% | 8.1 mph | 64% |
| 9 a.m. | 62°F | 51°F | 66% | 11.9 mph | 63% |
| noon | 67°F | 50°F | 55% | 13.1 mph | 56% |
| 3 p.m. | 70°F | 50°F | 50% | 12.9 mph | 53% |
| 6 p.m. | 68°F | 50°F | 52% | 11.5 mph | 59% |
| 9 p.m. | 61°F | 50°F | 67% | 7.6 mph | 63% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014946. 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 Watertown?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 106°F, on May 30, 1934; the coldest is 16°F, on May 3, 1907. The wettest May brought 8.75 in (1962); the snowiest, 6.0 inches (1907).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 55.7°F: 2021 55.5°F (−0.2), 2022 56.3°F (+0.5), 2023 61.9°F (+6.2), 2024 56.7°F (+1.0), 2025 56.7°F (+1.0), 2026 56.8°F (+1.1). 5 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.5°F | −0.2°F | 1.84 in |
| 2022 | 56.3°F | +0.5°F | 4.89 in |
| 2023 | 61.9°F | +6.2°F | 1.47 in |
| 2024 | 56.7°F | +1.0°F | 4.77 in |
| 2025 | 56.7°F | +1.0°F | 3.45 in |
| 2026 | 56.8°F | +1.1°F | 1.51 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014946; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014946. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Watertown 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; Watertown's is 67°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.