Cedar Rapids weather in May

In May, Cedar Rapids sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 5.0 in of rain across 13.2 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cedar Rapids's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cedar Rapids's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.0 in
13.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:52 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Cedar Rapids is city in and seat of Linn County, Iowa, United States.

Density
699/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 66°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Cedar Rapids reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16546
26546
36647
46647
56748
66748
76748
86849
96849
106849
116950
126950
136951
147051
157051
167051
177152
187152
197153
207253
217253
227254
237354
247354
257355
267455
277455
287456
297456
307556
317557

How May really feels in Cedar Rapids

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.

Cedar Rapids weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 13°1.575.39.30.0
Feb33° / 17°1.66.34.410.30.0
Mar46° / 28°2.68.62.911.71.4
Apr60° / 40°4.411.80.913.14.4
May70° / 51°5.013.2014.36.0
Jun79° / 62°5.111.90156.3
Jul82° / 65°3.99.9014.76.2
Aug81° / 62°3.79.3013.76.8
Sep74° / 54°3.98.4012.37.1
Oct61° / 42°2.98.60.410.95.3
Nov47° / 30°2.37.41.69.61.5
Dec34° / 19°1.86.94.790.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
33862
43862
53961
63961
73961
84060
94060
104159
114159
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
173961
183961
194060
204060
214060
224060
234159
244357
254258
264357
274456
284456
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cedar Rapids gets around 5.0 in of rain over 13.2 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 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
543
643
743
843
943
1042
1142
1241
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1942
2042
2142
2243
2343
2443
2544
2644
2745
2845
2945
3045
3145

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 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
188930
2871030
3851140
4841141
5821251
6801361
7791461
8781471
9771571
10761581
11741682
12731692
13731692
14721693
157116103
167016104
177016104
186816115
196816115
206616126
216516127
226317137
236217138
246017149
255918149
2658181410
2756191510
2854191611
2953201611
3051201712
3149211712

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light 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
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 4:40 AM, and sunset from 6:58 PM to 7:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:106:58
213.85:096:59
313.95:077:00
413.95:067:01
514.05:057:02
614.05:037:03
714.05:027:04
814.15:017:05
914.14:597:06
1014.24:587:08
1114.24:577:09
1214.24:567:10
1314.34:557:11
1414.34:547:12
1514.34:537:13
1614.44:527:14
1714.44:517:15
1814.44:507:16
1914.54:497:17
2014.54:487:18
2114.54:477:19
2214.64:467:20
2314.64:457:21
2414.64:457:22
2514.64:447:23
2614.74:437:24
2714.74:427:25
2814.74:427:25
2914.84:417:26
3014.84:407:27
3114.84:407:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Cedar Rapids?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Cedar Rapids for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cedar Rapids in May

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

In May, Cedar Rapids sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1916 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cedar Rapids?

Cedar Rapids sits at 42.0°N, 91.6°W, 810 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Marion, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Cedar Rapids

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cedar Rapids has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 814 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 446 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 738 ft.

The land around Cedar Rapids is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (32%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%), trees (20%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
446 ft
50 miles
738 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Marion 3.1 mi · North Liberty 18 mi · Coralville 23 mi · Iowa City 25 mi · Waterloo 49 mi · Muscatine 51 mi · Cedar Falls 55 mi · Dubuque 60 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 Cedar Rapids (42.0083°, -91.6441°, elevation 810 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).