Columbus weather in May

In May, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 5.1 in of rain across 12.4 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Columbus's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.1 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:16 AM – 7:35 PM
Cloud cover
59%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Columbus is city in and county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
831/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Columbus reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16645
26646
36746
46746
56747
66847
76848
86948
96949
107049
117049
127050
137150
147151
157151
167251
177252
187252
197353
207353
217353
227354
237454
247455
257455
267555
277556
287656
297656
307657
317757

How May really feels in Columbus

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.

Columbus 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° / 15°0.94.43.79.30.0
Feb37° / 18°1.05410.30.0
Mar49° / 29°2.07.42.811.72.2
Apr61° / 40°3.510.21.613.15.0
May71° / 51°5.112.4014.36.3
Jun82° / 62°4.410.8014.96.1
Jul86° / 66°2.78.4014.75.4
Aug83° / 64°3.18.8013.76.1
Sep77° / 55°2.67.1012.37.5
Oct63° / 42°2.36.90.610.96.1
Nov49° / 29°1.54.91.89.72.2
Dec36° / 19°1.24.63.79.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24555
34555
44555
54654
64654
74654
84753
94753
104753
114753
124753
134753
144852
154753
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214654
224654
234654
244555
254654
264654
274654
284654
294654
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Columbus gets around 5.1 in of rain over 12.4 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 40% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
640
740
839
938
1038
1137
1236
1336
1436
1536
1637
1737
1838
1938
2039
2140
2241
2342
2442
2543
2643
2744
2844
2943
3043
3142

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 72% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
192620
291720
390730
489830
588930
6861040
7851140
8831250
9821251
10801361
11791461
12781561
13761671
14761671
15741781
16731881
17721891
186919102
196819112
206720112
216620122
226421132
236321133
246122143
256022153
265923153
275723164
285623174
295523175
305323186
315124196

Wind in May

Winds average 10 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
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light 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 42 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 5:34 AM to 5:05 AM, and sunset from 7:19 PM to 7:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:347:19
213.85:337:21
313.85:317:22
413.95:307:23
513.95:297:24
614.05:277:25
714.05:267:26
814.05:257:27
914.15:247:28
1014.15:237:29
1114.15:217:30
1214.25:207:31
1314.25:197:32
1414.35:187:33
1514.35:177:34
1614.35:167:35
1714.45:157:36
1814.45:147:37
1914.45:137:38
2014.45:127:39
2114.55:127:40
2214.55:117:41
2314.55:107:42
2414.65:097:43
2514.65:087:44
2614.65:087:45
2714.65:077:46
2814.75:067:47
2914.75:067:47
3014.75:057:48
3114.75:057:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.85 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
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Columbus

In seasonPeak

In May, Columbus sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Columbus's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Columbus?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Columbus for sightseeing.

What to pack for Columbus in May

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

In May, Columbus sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Columbus in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Columbus peaks around June 22 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 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 41.4°N, 97.4°W, 1,447 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 42 mi away.

Topography around Columbus

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 1,450 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,024 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), grassland (25%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) within 10 miles, and cropland (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
1,024 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Norfolk 42 mi · Fremont 45 mi · Lincoln 57 mi · Grand Island 62 mi · Papillion 71 mi · La Vista 71 mi · Omaha 75 mi · Hastings 79 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 Columbus (41.4297°, -97.3684°, elevation 1,447 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).