ERA5 almanac comparison — 8 years of real data
Shenandoah Valley vs Traverse City: weather in May
Essentially a tie in May: Shenandoah Valley is 18% clear historically, Traverse City is 14% clear (8-year ERA5 average) — within the noise. Avg high 74°F vs 65°F. Pick based on flight time or price, not weather — the weather won't decide this one for you.
What you are reading: 8-year historical averages, not a forecast.
Either destination can still surprise you this specific May. For this
week’s actual forecast, each destination links to its live page below.
Shenandoah Valley
VA
- Clear days, May
- 18%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 74°F
- Early May (1st–15th)
- 15%
- Late May (16th–end)
- 21%
Traverse City
MI
- Clear days, May
- 14%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 65°F
- Early May (1st–15th)
- 8%
- Late May (16th–end)
- 19%
Compare Shenandoah Valley vs Traverse City in another month
All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.