May and Spring 2026 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Spring Dryness Adding to Fall Dryness Issues 

Saint Cloud, MN, May and Spring 2026 Weather Summary

The persistent dryness affecting Minnesota since late last summer intensified in May 2026. The St. Cloud Sky Central Airport only picked up 1.49 inches of rain in May, 2.17 inches below the May average. This was the driest May since 2023 (0.87 inch; 4th driest May). This was the 14th driest of the 134 Mays on record.

Most of Minnesota had less than 2 inches of rain during May (see green and blue on the NWS Water Prediction Service Minnesota Map to the month of May)

For the meteorological spring (March 1-May 31), St. Cloud picked up 6.13 inches, mainly on the strength of a wet April (3.17 inches). That total is still 0.94 inches below average. Dating back to the start of the dry period, the August 2025 through May 2026 total melted precipitation is 13.66 inches, -6.60 inch from average. This ended up the 11th driest August through May in St. Cloud records (see table below): 

The past 9 months would have finished in 10th place if we missed the 0.24 inch rain on May 31st.

The persistent dry conditions happened due to the frequent draining of air from either central Canada or from the eastern slopes of the Rockies. This made the influx of high dew point air (dew points of 60 degrees or high) rare during May. That resulted in two issues

Persistent Elevated Fire Danger

Any warm day with a decent wind produced elevated to extreme fire danger, especially in western and northern Minnesota where the spring greening was slow. The worst period in which some wildfires broke out in central and northern Minnesota were May 15 and 16. Major fires broke out downwind of Breezy Point (Flanders Fire) and near Two Harbors (Stewart Trail Fire). It took a few days to get these fires under control. Still, the wildfire situation wasn't as bad as during last May (2 major fires).

The persistent dryness from Minnesota westward (see US Drought Monitor) could lead to more wildfire and smoke issues during the upcoming summer. Still, the early wildfire season in the Canadian Prairie Provinces is much less severe than it was last season. Much of the explosive wildfire growth happened in May and June and that's when our frequent smoke issues began (set Minnesota Pollution Control Agency AQI calendar to Daily AQI, the year 2025, and any summer month).

Dry Air Produced Late Start to Growing Season

The other issue of the low dew points was the persistent frost and freeze chances through much of May's first three weeks. Whether temperatures were warm or cool, the dry air meant that dew points often fell back into the 30's, meaning a threat of frost on any clear, calm night. The last frost of the season wasn't until May 20 (low of 32°F). That was among the latest 20 percent of last frost dates in St. Cloud (median last frost date: May 7). That was one of 6 days with May frost. The record was 14 days of May frost, set in 1907. The latest low of 32°F or colder in St. Cloud records was June 1, 1993.

The latest hard freeze (low of 28 or colder) this May was set on May 7 (low of 24°F). That was also within the latest 20 percent of last freeze dates on record. It was also within 6 days of the latest low of 24°F or colder, set on May 13, 1953.

While no cold temperatures records were set in May, the low temperature was within 2 degrees of the daily record on both May 6 (low of 26) and May 7 (low of 24).

Roller Coaster Temperatures With Late Month Warmth

The alternation of cool and warm, especially the cold low temperatures, had St. Cloud down on the average temperatures through May 23 (average of 51.7 degrees, which would have ranked among the 15 coolest Mays on record). However, May 24 began a 7-day streak of 80-degree or warmer high. After a low of 39 degrees to begin the streak, moister air kept low temperatures mostly 55 degrees or milder. That pushed the May average temperature up more than 4 degrees. The final St. Cloud May 2026 average temperature was 56.0 degrees (average high: 69.1°, average low: 43.0°), within 0.2° of normal.

The meteorological spring ended up with a 44.9°F average, 2.0° above average. This was the 32nd mildest spring in St. Cloud records.

Making long-range forecasts for the summer is especially inaccurate, since it is difficult to forecast thunderstorms before meteorologists see where the overnight clouds and showers are by mid-morning. However, the usual Western US dry season would aggravate the very dry conditions coming into the summer. So, there is big potential for a major wildfire season.

May 2026 Statistics

Last Update: 2 May 2026