Columbia weather in May

In May, Columbia sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 5.3 in of rain across 13.3 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Columbia's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.3 in
13.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:02 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
61%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Columbia is city in and county seat of Boone County, Missouri, United States.

Density
765/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 70°F in the first days to 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Columbia reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16951
27051
37052
47152
57153
67153
77253
87254
97254
107354
117355
127355
137455
147456
157456
167456
177556
187557
197557
207658
217658
227658
237759
247759
257759
267860
277860
287860
297961
307961
317962

How May really feels in Columbia

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.

Columbia 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
Jan38° / 23°2.27.23.79.60.0
Feb44° / 27°2.36.92.910.50.7
Mar55° / 36°3.410.71.611.73.4
Apr65° / 46°5.111.60.3135.6
May74° / 56°5.313.3014.16.2
Jun83° / 66°4.411.9014.75.4
Jul88° / 69°3.79.5014.54.7
Aug86° / 67°3.08.9013.55.2
Sep79° / 59°3.47.7012.37.1
Oct67° / 47°3.38.80.1116.4
Nov53° / 36°3.17.81.19.93.3
Dec42° / 27°2.36.92.39.30.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
34060
44159
54159
64159
74357
84357
94456
104456
114654
124654
134654
144654
154753
164753
174654
184654
194555
204654
214654
224555
234555
244555
254456
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Columbia gets around 5.3 in of rain over 13.3 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 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
444
544
644
744
843
943
1042
1142
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1742
1842
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17218820
27118920
368191030
466201130
565201230
663201340
762201440
860201550
958201660
1057201760
1155201870
1255201870
1354191980
1453191990
15511920100
16511820110
17501820120
18491821130
19471721140
20461722150
21441722160
22431722181
23411723191
24391723201
25381823211
26361823221
27351823231
28331823242
29321923252
30311923262
31301923272

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
37light breeze
47light breeze
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:18 AM to 4:52 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:186:55
213.65:176:56
313.75:166:57
413.75:156:58
513.85:136:59
613.85:127:00
713.85:117:01
813.95:107:02
913.95:097:03
1013.95:087:04
1114.05:077:05
1214.05:067:05
1314.05:057:06
1414.15:047:07
1514.15:037:08
1614.15:027:09
1714.25:017:10
1814.25:007:11
1914.24:597:12
2014.24:597:13
2114.34:587:14
2214.34:577:15
2314.34:567:15
2414.34:567:16
2514.44:557:17
2614.44:547:18
2714.44:547:19
2814.44:537:20
2914.54:537:20
3014.54:527:21
3114.54:527:22

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Columbia?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Columbia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Columbia in May

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

In May, Columbia sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 56°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Columbia 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 Columbia peaks around June 21 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Columbia 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 Columbia is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1616 µg/m³Nov 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbia?

Columbia sits at 39.0°N, 92.3°W, 705 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Jefferson City, 27 mi away.

Topography around Columbia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft around an average of 728 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 640 ft.

The land around Columbia is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (41%), cropland (32%) and grassland (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
220 ft
10 miles
387 ft
50 miles
640 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Jefferson City 27 mi · Sedalia 51 mi · Hannibal 74 mi · Rolla 76 mi · Warrensburg 76 mi · Wentzville 80 mi · Quincy 84 mi · Fort Leonard Wood 86 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 Columbia (38.9517°, -92.3341°, elevation 705 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).