Emporia weather in May

In May, Emporia sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 5.8 in of rain across 13 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Emporia's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Emporia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.8 in
13 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:19 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
58%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Emporia is city and county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States.

Density
777/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

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 70°F in the first days to 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Emporia reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 86°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)
17050
27050
37051
47151
57151
67152
77252
87253
97353
107353
117354
127454
137455
147455
157455
167556
177556
187556
197657
207657
217657
227658
237758
247758
257859
267859
277859
287860
297960
307960
318061

How May really feels in Emporia

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.

Emporia 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
Jan41° / 22°1.14.839.60.1
Feb46° / 26°1.55.32.310.51.2
Mar56° / 35°2.78.61.511.74.0
Apr66° / 45°3.910.20.4136.0
May75° / 55°5.813014.16.4
Jun84° / 65°4.710.9014.65.5
Jul89° / 70°3.79.6014.44.4
Aug87° / 67°3.99.2013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.47.6012.37.0
Oct68° / 47°3.07.40.2116.9
Nov55° / 35°1.95.70.89.93.9
Dec44° / 26°1.54.92.39.40.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24555
34555
44654
54654
64555
74654
84654
94753
104753
114753
124852
134753
144852
154852
164852
174852
184852
194753
204753
214852
224753
234753
244951
254951
264852
274852
284951
295050
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Emporia gets around 5.8 in of rain over 13 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 (%)
142
242
343
443
543
643
742
842
941
1041
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2041
2141
2241
2342
2442
2542
2643
2743
2843
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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17713820
27514920
373151020
470161130
568171230
667171330
764181440
863181540
961191640
1059191750
1158191850
1257191950
1355192060
1454192070
1552192180
1652192180
17501922100
18481923110
19461923120
20451824130
21431825140
22411825150
23401826160
24381926170
25361927180
26341927190
27331927201
28312027211
29302027221
30282027231
31272027251

Wind in May

Winds average 9 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
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
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:35 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:357:09
213.65:337:10
313.65:327:11
413.75:317:12
513.75:307:13
613.85:297:14
713.85:287:15
813.85:267:16
913.95:257:17
1013.95:247:18
1113.95:237:19
1214.05:227:20
1314.05:217:21
1414.05:207:21
1514.05:207:22
1614.15:197:23
1714.15:187:24
1814.15:177:25
1914.25:167:26
2014.25:157:27
2114.25:157:28
2214.25:147:29
2314.35:137:29
2414.35:127:30
2514.35:127:31
2614.35:117:32
2714.45:117:33
2814.45:107:33
2914.45:107:34
3014.45:097:35
3114.55:097:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Emporia?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Emporia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Emporia in May

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

In May, Emporia sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Emporia 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 Emporia peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 22UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Emporia 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 Emporia is worst in April — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.6× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodApr 1532 µg/m³Oct 235 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct5Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Emporia?

Emporia sits at 38.4°N, 96.2°W, 1,142 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Topeka, 52 mi away.

Topography around Emporia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Emporia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 ft.

The land around Emporia is covered by trees (34%), cropland (23%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (47%) and cropland (36%) within 10 miles, and grassland (66%) and cropland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
354 ft
50 miles
797 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Topeka 52 mi · Junction City 55 mi · Manhattan 58 mi · Lawrence 65 mi · Newton 68 mi · Gardner 73 mi · Wichita 80 mi · Olathe 81 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 Emporia (38.4039°, -96.1817°, elevation 1,142 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).