Cape Girardeau weather in May

In May, Cape Girardeau sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 12.3 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cape Girardeau's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cape Girardeau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
12.3 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:54 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
62%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Cape Girardeau is city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri.

Density
535/km²
people per km²
Founded
1793

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 Cape Girardeau reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 66°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17254
27355
37355
47355
57456
67456
77456
87457
97557
107558
117558
127658
137658
147659
157659
167760
177760
187760
197860
207861
217861
227862
237962
247962
258062
268063
278063
288064
298164
308164
318164

How May really feels in Cape Girardeau

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.

Cape Girardeau 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
Jan43° / 28°3.89.229.70.6
Feb48° / 31°3.48.21.710.61.8
Mar58° / 40°4.811.80.711.74.1
Apr68° / 49°5.311.1012.96.1
May77° / 60°4.712.30146.4
Jun85° / 68°3.510.1014.55.3
Jul88° / 72°3.310.1014.34.4
Aug87° / 69°2.88013.45.0
Sep81° / 61°3.27.6012.36.8
Oct69° / 50°3.97.90.1117.0
Nov56° / 39°4.18.70.5104.1
Dec46° / 31°3.78.91.39.51.4

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 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74357
84357
94258
104357
114357
124357
134258
144258
154258
164159
174159
184159
194159
204258
214159
224357
234258
244357
254357
264456
274456
284555
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cape Girardeau gets around 4.7 in of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
441
541
641
740
840
940
1040
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2939
3039
3139

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 23% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
159201650
258201750
356201860
454201970
553192080
652192090
7501921100
8491821120
9481821130
10471821140
11461721150
12451721171
13441621181
14441621191
15431621201
16421521211
17411520221
18401520242
19391520252
20371520262
21351520283
22331520293
23321520304
24301520314
25281520325
26261620335
27251620346
28231620346
29221620357
30201620358
31191620368

Wind in May

Winds average 7 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
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
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 24 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 5:10 AM to 4:45 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:106:41
213.65:096:42
313.65:076:43
413.65:066:43
513.75:056:44
613.75:046:45
713.75:036:46
813.85:026:47
913.85:016:48
1013.85:006:49
1113.84:596:50
1213.94:586:51
1313.94:576:52
1413.94:566:52
1514.04:556:53
1614.04:546:54
1714.04:546:55
1814.14:536:56
1914.14:526:57
2014.14:516:58
2114.14:516:58
2214.24:506:59
2314.24:497:00
2414.24:497:01
2514.24:487:02
2614.34:477:02
2714.34:477:03
2814.34:467:04
2914.34:467:05
3014.34:457:05
3114.44:457:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Cape Girardeau

In seasonPeak

None of Cape Girardeau's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Cape Girardeau sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Cape Girardeau?

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
5.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Cape Girardeau for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cape Girardeau in May

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

In May, Cape Girardeau sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Cape Girardeau in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cape Girardeau peaks around June 21 at about 10 (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 21UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cape Girardeau?

Cape Girardeau sits at 37.3°N, 89.5°W, 354 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sikeston, 30 mi away.

Topography around Cape Girardeau

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cape Girardeau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 371 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,375 ft.

The land around Cape Girardeau is covered by trees (36%) and cropland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and cropland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
869 ft
50 miles
1,375 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sikeston 30 mi · Carbondale 34 mi · Marion 43 mi · Paducah 53 mi · Farmington 60 mi · Poplar Bluff 62 mi · Mount Vernon 78 mi · Murray 82 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 Cape Girardeau (37.3059°, -89.5182°, elevation 354 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).