Climate averages 1991–2020
Bismarck weather
in May.
A mild, moderately wet month: the 5th warmest and the 10th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a mild month in Bismarck: daytime highs average 18.4°C and nights cool to about 7.3°C. By daytime temperature it is the 5th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 73 mm of rain on roughly 10 days, which makes May a moderately wet month (the 10th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 15 h 01 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Fargo (304 km away). In May its highs average 18.8°C, about as warm as Bismarck, with 88 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Bismarck ranks joint 466th of 498 for the warmest May highs and joint 191st of 498 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 498 cities is 23.8°C; Bismarck is 5.4°C cooler than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 5.2°C to 23.6°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 73 mm to 96 mm.
The annual picture
May in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Bismarck climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -5.9°C-15.1°C | -15.1°C | 16 | 4.5 | 9.09 h |
| February | -2.9°C-12.5°C | -12.5°C | 18 | 4.5 | 10.310 h |
| March | 3.8°C-6.6°C | -6.6°C | 26 | 5.0 | 11.912 h |
| April | 11.4°C-0.1°C | -0.1°C | 46 | 7.5 | 13.614 h |
| May, selected | 18.4°C7.3°C | 7.3°C | 73 | 9.8 | 15.015 h |
| June | 23.6°C13.3°C | 13.3°C | 96 | 10.9 | 15.816 h |
| July | 27.3°C16.7°C | 16.7°C | 77 | 9.7 | 15.515 h |
| August | 26.9°C15.9°C | 15.9°C | 58 | 7.4 | 14.214 h |
| September | 21.4°C10.9°C | 10.9°C | 46 | 6.5 | 12.613 h |
| October | 12.7°C3.3°C | 3.3°C | 45 | 6.5 | 10.911 h |
| November | 3.6°C-4.6°C | -4.6°C | 21 | 4.1 | 9.49 h |
| December | -3.4°C-11.4°C | -11.4°C | 18 | 4.4 | 8.69 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
May in nearby cities
- Fargo in MayUnited States · 304 kmHigh 18.8°C · Low 8.0°C · 88 mm rain
- Rapid City in MayUnited States · 358 kmHigh 18.4°C · Low 7.2°C · 112 mm rain
- Winnipeg in MayCanada · 435 kmHigh 16.5°C · Low 5.5°C · 80 mm rain
- Sioux Falls in MayUnited States · 482 kmHigh 19.9°C · Low 9.5°C · 114 mm rain
- Regina in MayCanada · 493 kmHigh 16.7°C · Low 4.9°C · 62 mm rain
- Sioux City in MayUnited States · 591 kmHigh 21.0°C · Low 10.6°C · 126 mm rain
- Plymouth, United States in MayUnited States · 601 kmHigh 19.2°C · Low 9.6°C · 108 mm rain
- Billings in MayUnited States · 603 kmHigh 19.6°C · Low 7.0°C · 65 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Bismarck) is explained once on the Bismarck year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.