Bloomington weather in May

In May, Bloomington sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bloomington's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bloomington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
13.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:45 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
64%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Bloomington is city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,110/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bloomington reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16748
26749
36849
46849
56950
66950
76951
87051
97051
107052
117152
127152
137153
147153
157253
167253
177254
187354
197354
207355
217455
227455
237456
247456
257556
267557
277557
287658
297658
307658
317759

How May really feels in Bloomington

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bloomington weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°2.38.34.99.40.0
Feb38° / 22°2.17.44.110.40.0
Mar50° / 32°3.110.31.811.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.4120.5134.9
May72° / 53°4.713.5014.26.1
Jun81° / 63°4.312.2014.86.1
Jul83° / 66°3.810.8014.65.7
Aug82° / 64°3.29.4013.66.5
Sep76° / 56°3.07.8012.37.2
Oct64° / 45°3.38.90.110.95.8
Nov50° / 34°3.08.41.19.72.3
Dec38° / 24°2.38.33.69.20.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
93961
104060
114159
124159
134159
144159
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244357
254357
264258
274258
284357
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bloomington gets around 4.7 in of rain over 13.5 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 43% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
644
744
844
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2243
2344
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18411410
28312410
38013520
47814620
57715620
67515730
77416730
87216840
97116940
106917950
1168171050
1267171150
1366171160
1465171260
1565171260
1663171370
1763171370
1861171480
1960171580
2058171690
2157171790
22551718100
23551618100
24541619110
25511620121
26501720121
27491720131
28481721131
29471721141
30461721151
31451821151

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:02 AM to 4:34 AM, and sunset from 6:44 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:026:44
213.75:016:45
313.85:006:46
413.84:586:47
513.94:576:48
613.94:566:49
713.94:556:50
814.04:536:51
914.04:526:52
1014.04:516:54
1114.14:506:55
1214.14:496:56
1314.14:486:57
1414.24:476:58
1514.24:466:59
1614.24:456:59
1714.34:447:00
1814.34:437:01
1914.34:427:02
2014.44:417:03
2114.44:417:04
2214.44:407:05
2314.54:397:06
2414.54:387:07
2514.54:387:08
2614.54:377:09
2714.64:367:10
2814.64:367:10
2914.64:357:11
3014.64:347:12
3114.64:347:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bloomington?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bloomington for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bloomington in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Bloomington sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bloomington in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bloomington peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Bloomington in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bloomington is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1816 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bloomington?

Bloomington sits at 40.5°N, 89.0°W, 797 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Normal, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Bloomington

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Bloomington.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bloomington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 804 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 531 ft.

The land around Bloomington is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
276 ft
50 miles
531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Normal 1.9 mi · Morton 26 mi · Washington 27 mi · East Peoria 34 mi · Peoria 34 mi · Pekin 34 mi · North Peoria 35 mi · Decatur 45 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bloomington (40.4842°, -88.9937°, elevation 797 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).