Des Moines weather in May
In May, Des Moines has daytime highs averaging 22 °C, nights around 12 °C, with 14 wet days. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 21.9°C Average high
- 11.9°C Average low
- 14days Wet days
- 135mm Rainfall
- 15h Daylight
Daily temperatures through May
How May develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 May | 20.3 °C | 10.0 °C | 44 % |
| 11–20 May | 21.7 °C | 11.4 °C | 37 % |
| 21–31 May | 23.6 °C | 13.8 °C | 49 % |
- Average highs rise from 20.3 °C early in May to 23.6 °C by the end of it.
- Rain is most likely over days 21–31 of May (49 % of days) and least likely over days 11–20 (37 %).
What to expect
| Measure | Typical May | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 8.3 of 31 | 27 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0.9 of 31 | 3 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0.1 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 14 of 31 | 44 % |
Conditions in May
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 16 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 34 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | -0.3 °C |
| Relative humidity | 69 % |
| Wind speed | 22 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 60 % |
May compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 9.6 °C | 66 mm | 60 % |
| April | 16.4 °C | 108 mm | 61 % |
| May | 21.9 °C | 135 mm | 60 % |
| June | 27.0 °C | 121 mm | 55 % |
| July | 29.2 °C | 93 mm | 47 % |
See all twelve months for Des Moines
- May is the 5th warmest month here.
- It is the 12th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 7th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 15 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 14 of 31 days — 44 % of the month.
- Nights are about 10 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest May day on record since 1991 reached 34 °C, 12 °C above the usual daytime high.
QuestionsMay in Des Moines, answered
How warm is Des Moines in May?
Daily highs average 22 °C and nights fall to about 12 °C, a spread of 10 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes May the 5th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Des Moines in May?
May averages 135 mm of rain, spread over about 14 of the 31 days — 44 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 60 % of the sky.
How long are the days in May?
Des Moines averages 15 hours between sunrise and sunset in May. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.