Elizabethtown weather in May

In May, Elizabethtown sees average daytime highs of 76°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 5.0 in of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 72°F in the first days to 80°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 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 Elizabethtown's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elizabethtown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
76°
5th warmest
Overnight low
58°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.0 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:39 AM – 7:40 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Elizabethtown is county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
413/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Elizabethtown reaches about 76°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 64°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17153
27253
37254
47254
57355
67355
77355
87456
97456
107456
117456
127557
137557
147557
157558
167658
177658
187658
197659
207759
217760
227760
237860
247860
257861
267961
277961
287962
298062
308062
318063

How May really feels in Elizabethtown

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.

Elizabethtown 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
Jan43° / 28°3.7102.69.70.5
Feb47° / 31°3.69.72.610.51.5
Mar57° / 38°4.711.91.311.73.8
Apr67° / 48°5.1120.112.95.8
May76° / 58°5.013.10146.3
Jun84° / 66°4.212.5014.65.3
Jul87° / 69°4.112.1014.34.6
Aug86° / 68°3.29.9013.55.1
Sep80° / 60°3.58.1012.36.8
Oct69° / 49°3.57.90116.8
Nov56° / 39°3.69.20.5103.9
Dec46° / 32°4.310.61.69.41.3

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 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83862
94060
104060
114060
124060
134159
144060
154060
164060
174159
184159
194258
204159
214159
224258
234258
244258
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Elizabethtown gets around 5.0 in of rain over 13.1 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
543
643
743
843
942
1042
1142
1242
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2142
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
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 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
164181620
263181720
360191830
459191930
557201940
655202050
753212060
851212170
950212180
1048212190
11472121110
12462121120
13452021140
14442021150
15431920170
16421920180
17421820200
18411819221
19401719231
20391719251
21371718261
22361718272
23351718282
24341718292
25321819293
26301819293
27291920293
28271920304
29262021304
30242021304
31232022314

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:55 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 7:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:557:27
213.65:537:28
313.65:527:29
413.65:517:30
513.75:507:30
613.75:497:31
713.75:487:32
813.85:477:33
913.85:467:34
1013.85:457:35
1113.95:447:36
1213.95:437:37
1313.95:427:38
1414.05:417:39
1514.05:407:40
1614.05:397:40
1714.15:387:41
1814.15:377:42
1914.15:367:43
2014.15:367:44
2114.25:357:45
2214.25:347:46
2314.25:347:46
2414.25:337:47
2514.35:327:48
2614.35:327:49
2714.35:317:50
2814.35:317:50
2914.35:307:51
3014.45:307:52
3114.45:297:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Elizabethtown?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Elizabethtown for sightseeing.

What to pack for Elizabethtown in May

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

In May, Elizabethtown sees daytime highs around 76°F and nights near 58°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown peaks around June 23 at about 9 (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 23UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Nov 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Elizabethtown?

Elizabethtown sits at 37.7°N, 85.9°W, 725 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Radcliff, 11 mi away.

Topography around Elizabethtown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Elizabethtown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 761 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 623 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,027 ft.

The land around Elizabethtown is covered by trees (37%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (41%), grassland (28%) and cropland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (57%) and grassland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
226 ft
10 miles
623 ft
50 miles
1,027 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Radcliff 11 mi · Valley Station 29 mi · Pleasure Ridge Park 31 mi · Okolona 32 mi · Highview 34 mi · Newburg 34 mi · Shively 35 mi · Fern Creek 35 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 Elizabethtown (37.694°, -85.8591°, elevation 725 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).