Derby weather in May

In May, Derby sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 5.4 in of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 72°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 Derby's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Derby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.4 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:25 AM – 7:26 PM
Cloud cover
55%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Derby is city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States.

Density
888/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 72°F in the first days to 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Derby reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 65°F and 87°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)
17151
27251
37252
47352
57353
67353
77454
87454
97454
107555
117555
127556
137656
147656
157657
167757
177757
187758
197858
207858
217859
227859
237960
247960
258060
268060
278061
288061
298162
308162
318262

How May really feels in Derby

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.

Derby 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
Jan44° / 25°1.14.31.99.70.9
Feb49° / 28°1.45.31.710.62.2
Mar59° / 37°2.87.71.111.74.8
Apr68° / 46°3.89.60.212.96.4
May77° / 57°5.411.40146.6
Jun86° / 67°4.610.4014.55.0
Jul91° / 71°3.08.1014.34.0
Aug89° / 69°3.07.5013.44.5
Sep82° / 61°3.07012.36.7
Oct70° / 48°3.270.1117.3
Nov57° / 36°1.75.30.5104.6
Dec46° / 27°1.54.82.19.51.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35149
45248
55248
65347
75248
85347
95446
105446
115347
125446
135347
145347
155347
165248
175149
185050
195050
204951
214951
224951
234951
245050
254951
264951
275050
285149
295149
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Derby gets around 5.4 in of rain over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
537
637
737
836
936
1036
1136
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1736
1836
1936
2037
2137
2237
2338
2438
2538
2639
2739
2839
2939
3039
3138

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 46% 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 (%)
173141030
271151130
369161230
467161340
565171440
663171550
761181650
859181760
958181860
1056181970
1153192080
1252192180
1350192290
1449192390
15481924100
16461924110
17441825120
18421826130
19411828140
20391829150
21371830150
22351830160
23331831170
24321832180
25301832191
26281932201
27261932221
28251932231
29231932241
30222032251
31212031271

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light 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 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 5:40 AM to 5:15 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:407:12
213.65:397:13
313.65:387:14
413.65:377:15
513.75:367:16
613.75:357:17
713.75:347:18
813.85:337:19
913.85:327:19
1013.85:307:20
1113.95:297:21
1213.95:297:22
1313.95:287:23
1414.05:277:24
1514.05:267:25
1614.05:257:26
1714.05:247:27
1814.15:237:27
1914.15:227:28
2014.15:227:29
2114.15:217:30
2214.25:207:31
2314.25:207:32
2414.25:197:32
2514.25:187:33
2614.35:187:34
2714.35:177:35
2814.35:177:36
2914.35:167:36
3014.45:167:37
3114.45:157:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Derby?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Derby for sightseeing.

What to pack for Derby in May

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

In May, Derby sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 57°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Derby 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 Derby peaks around June 22 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Derby?

Derby sits at 37.5°N, 97.3°W, 1,293 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wichita, 11 mi away.

Topography around Derby

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Derby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 1,283 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft.

The land around Derby is covered by trees (39%) and grassland (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (37%), grassland (31%) and trees (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (46%) and grassland (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
249 ft
50 miles
751 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Wichita 11 mi · Newton 35 mi · Hutchinson 51 mi · Ponca City 59 mi · Emporia 84 mi · Enid 86 mi · Bartlesville 90 mi · Salina 91 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 Derby (37.5456°, -97.2689°, elevation 1,293 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).