Dixon weather in May

In May, Dixon sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 13.2 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 66°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 Dixon's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dixon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
13.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:44 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Dixon is city and county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States.

Density
752/km²
people per km²
Founded
1828

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 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Dixon reaches about 71°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 83°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
26647
36647
46647
56748
66748
76849
86849
96849
106950
116950
126950
137051
147051
157051
167151
177152
187152
197152
207253
217253
227353
237354
247354
257355
267455
277455
287456
297556
307556
317557

How May really feels in Dixon

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.

Dixon 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
Jan30° / 16°2.07.75.39.30.0
Feb34° / 19°1.96.64.410.30.0
Mar47° / 30°2.79.42.511.71.6
Apr60° / 41°4.511.60.913.14.5
May71° / 51°4.813.2014.36.0
Jun80° / 61°4.411.90156.3
Jul82° / 65°3.710.2014.76.2
Aug81° / 63°3.39.3013.76.7
Sep75° / 55°3.48.6012.37.1
Oct62° / 43°3.08.70.210.95.4
Nov47° / 32°2.67.81.49.61.6
Dec35° / 22°2.27.54.190.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33664
43664
53664
63664
73763
83763
93763
103862
113862
123862
133862
143961
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
224060
234060
244258
254258
264159
274159
284258
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dixon gets around 4.8 in of rain over 13.2 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
342
442
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
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 71% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1889210
28610310
38511310
48511310
58312410
68212420
78013520
88013520
97714630
107714630
117714630
127614730
137514740
147415740
157315840
167215850
177215850
187015960
197015960
2068151070
2166161080
2265161180
2364161190
2462171290
25611712100
26601713100
27581813110
28571814110
29561914110
30541914121
31522015121

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light 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 5:02 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:026:49
213.85:006:50
313.94:596:51
413.94:586:52
513.94:566:53
614.04:556:54
714.04:546:55
814.14:526:56
914.14:516:57
1014.14:506:59
1114.24:497:00
1214.24:487:01
1314.34:477:02
1414.34:467:03
1514.34:457:04
1614.44:447:05
1714.44:437:06
1814.44:427:07
1914.54:417:08
2014.54:407:09
2114.54:397:10
2214.54:387:11
2314.64:377:12
2414.64:367:13
2514.64:367:14
2614.74:357:15
2714.74:347:15
2814.74:347:16
2914.74:337:17
3014.84:327:18
3114.84:327:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.7 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.7 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
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
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 Dixon?

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
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Dixon for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dixon in May

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

In May, Dixon sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Dixon 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 Dixon peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 19UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dixon 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 Dixon is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dixon?

Dixon sits at 41.8°N, 89.5°W, 682 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sterling, 12 mi away.

Topography around Dixon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dixon has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft around an average of 735 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 886 ft.

The land around Dixon is covered by trees (30%), cropland (24%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
203 ft
10 miles
299 ft
50 miles
886 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sterling 12 mi · Freeport 32 mi · Rockford 36 mi · Clinton 37 mi · DeKalb 38 mi · Loves Park 40 mi · Machesney Park 42 mi · Sycamore 42 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 Dixon (41.8389°, -89.4796°, elevation 682 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).