Dayton weather in May

In May, Dayton sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 13.3 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dayton's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dayton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
13.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:27 AM – 7:39 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Dayton is city and county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.

Density
926/km²
people per km²
Founded
1796

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 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Dayton reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 83°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)
16749
26849
36850
46850
56951
66951
76951
87052
97052
107052
117153
127153
137153
147153
157254
167254
177254
187355
197355
207355
217355
227456
237456
247456
257557
267557
277558
287658
297658
307659
317659

How May really feels in Dayton

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.

Dayton 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
Jan37° / 23°3.29.84.69.50.0
Feb40° / 25°2.79.24.110.40.2
Mar50° / 33°3.911.12.311.72.2
Apr63° / 44°4.612.70.5135.0
May72° / 54°4.613.3014.26.1
Jun80° / 63°4.212.6014.86.0
Jul83° / 66°3.411.6014.55.6
Aug82° / 65°3.210.1013.66.3
Sep76° / 57°2.77.8012.37.2
Oct64° / 46°2.98.40.210.95.9
Nov51° / 36°3.2919.82.6
Dec41° / 28°3.49.73.39.20.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53664
63763
73763
83763
93763
103763
113862
123961
133961
143961
153961
163961
173862
183961
193961
203961
214060
224060
234060
244060
254060
264159
274159
284159
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dayton gets around 4.6 in of rain over 13.3 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 43% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
544
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1244
1344
1444
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

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 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1821350
2801460
3771571
4761581
5751591
67216102
77116112
87016122
96916123
106816133
116616144
126516154
136316165
146316165
156116176
166116176
175916187
185816197
195616208
205516218
215416219
2251172210
2350172310
2449172311
2548172311
2647172312
2747172412
2846172413
2945172413
3045172414
3144172415

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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
147light breeze
157light breeze
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 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:44 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 7:24 PM to 7:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:447:24
213.75:437:25
313.75:427:26
413.85:407:27
513.85:397:28
613.85:387:29
713.95:377:30
813.95:367:31
914.05:357:32
1014.05:347:33
1114.05:327:34
1214.15:317:35
1314.15:307:36
1414.15:297:37
1514.25:287:38
1614.25:277:39
1714.25:277:39
1814.25:267:40
1914.35:257:41
2014.35:247:42
2114.35:237:43
2214.45:227:44
2314.45:227:45
2414.45:217:46
2514.45:207:47
2614.55:207:48
2714.55:197:48
2814.55:187:49
2914.55:187:50
3014.65:177:51
3114.65:177:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Dayton?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Dayton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dayton in May

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

In May, Dayton sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Dayton 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 Dayton peaks around June 20 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 highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dayton 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 Dayton 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).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1117 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dayton?

Dayton sits at 39.8°N, 84.2°W, 738 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Riverside, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Dayton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dayton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 ft around an average of 764 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,089 ft.

The land around Dayton is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, trees (42%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (59%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
207 ft
10 miles
430 ft
50 miles
1,089 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Riverside 3.7 mi · Kettering 5.0 mi · Huber Heights 6.8 mi · Trotwood 6.8 mi · Beavercreek 7.5 mi · Vandalia 9.3 mi · Centerville 9.3 mi · Miamisburg 9.3 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 Dayton (39.7589°, -84.1916°, elevation 738 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).