Bowling Green weather in May

In May, Bowling Green sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 11.9 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bowling Green's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bowling Green's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
11.9 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:43 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Bowling Green is city and county seat of Warren, Kentucky, United States.

Density
645/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 73°F in the first days to 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bowling Green reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 66°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17354
27355
37355
47455
57456
67456
77556
87557
97557
107657
117658
127658
137658
147758
157759
167759
177859
187860
197860
207860
217961
227961
237961
248062
258062
268062
278163
288163
298163
308264
318264

How May really feels in Bowling Green

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.

Bowling Green weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 30°4.010.22.19.81.0
Feb49° / 33°4.29.91.910.62.0
Mar59° / 40°4.911.90.911.74.3
Apr69° / 49°5.111.60.112.96.1
May77° / 59°4.811.90146.4
Jun85° / 67°4.012.5014.54.9
Jul88° / 71°3.811.7014.34.2
Aug87° / 69°3.310.3013.44.6
Sep82° / 62°3.58.2012.36.5
Oct70° / 50°3.780.1117.0
Nov57° / 40°3.89.20.3104.3
Dec48° / 33°4.610.71.39.51.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104654
114654
124753
134753
144753
154654
164654
174555
184555
194456
204456
214456
224456
234357
244357
254258
264357
274357
284357
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bowling Green gets around 4.8 in of rain over 11.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
242
342
441
541
640
740
839
939
1039
1138
1238
1338
1437
1537
1637
1737
1837
1937
2037
2137
2238
2338
2438
2538
2638
2739
2839
2939
3040
3140

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 39% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
162191630
259201740
357201850
456201950
554202060
651212170
749202280
848202290
9462023100
10452023120
11442023130
12421924140
13411924160
14401923171
15391823191
16391823201
17381722221
18371722231
19361721242
20351621262
21341620272
22331720283
23311719293
24301719304
25281819314
26271819314
27261919325
28241920325
29231920325
30221921336
31211921336

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:58 AM to 4:33 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.54:586:28
213.54:576:29
313.64:566:30
413.64:556:31
513.64:536:32
613.74:526:32
713.74:516:33
813.74:506:34
913.84:496:35
1013.84:486:36
1113.84:476:37
1213.94:466:38
1313.94:456:39
1413.94:456:39
1513.94:446:40
1614.04:436:41
1714.04:426:42
1814.04:416:43
1914.14:406:44
2014.14:406:45
2114.14:396:45
2214.14:386:46
2314.24:386:47
2414.24:376:48
2514.24:366:49
2614.24:366:49
2714.24:356:50
2814.34:356:51
2914.34:346:52
3014.34:346:52
3114.34:336:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.92 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bowling Green?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bowling Green for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bowling Green in May

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

In May, Bowling Green sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bowling Green in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Bowling Green 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 Bowling Green is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Nov 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bowling Green?

Bowling Green sits at 37.0°N, 86.4°W, 528 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Springfield, 41 mi away.

Topography around Bowling Green

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bowling Green has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 509 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 449 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 856 ft.

The land around Bowling Green is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%), grassland (27%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
449 ft
50 miles
856 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Springfield 41 mi · Gallatin 42 mi · Hendersonville 48 mi · Goodlettsville 48 mi · Lebanon 55 mi · Mount Juliet 55 mi · Hermitage 56 mi · Elizabethtown 58 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 Bowling Green (36.9903°, -86.4436°, elevation 528 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).