Frankfort weather in May

In May, Frankfort sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 13.6 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 71°F in the first days to 78°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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Frankfort's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Frankfort's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
13.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:34 AM – 7:38 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Frankfort is capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky and seat of Franklin County.

Density
750/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 71°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Frankfort reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 85°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)
17052
27152
37153
47153
57153
67254
77254
87254
97355
107355
117355
127356
137456
147456
157456
167457
177457
187557
197558
207558
217658
227658
237659
247759
257760
267760
277860
287860
297861
307861
317961

How May really feels in Frankfort

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.

Frankfort 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
Jan42° / 27°3.510.33.49.60.1
Feb46° / 30°3.5103.310.51.1
Mar55° / 37°4.511.81.611.73.4
Apr66° / 47°5.012.60.3135.6
May74° / 57°4.813.60146.2
Jun83° / 65°4.212.7014.65.5
Jul86° / 69°4.012.1014.44.8
Aug85° / 67°3.010.1013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.28.4012.36.9
Oct67° / 48°3.48.40.1116.4
Nov54° / 38°3.48.90.69.93.5
Dec45° / 31°4.110.82.49.41.0

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34159
44060
54060
64060
74060
83961
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
144060
154060
164060
173961
183961
193961
204060
214060
224060
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Frankfort gets around 4.8 in of rain over 13.6 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 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
346
446
546
646
745
845
945
1045
1144
1244
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1842
1942
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2542
2641
2741
2841
2941
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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
168181310
267181410
364191520
462201620
559211730
658211740
756211850
855221850
952221970
1051221980
1151211990
12492119100
13482120110
14482020120
15472020130
16461920150
17451920160
18451820170
19441820180
20431721191
21411721201
22401721211
23381722211
24371822221
25361822222
26341922232
27332022232
28322022242
29302122242
30292122252
31282222262

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
77calm
87calm
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 36 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 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 7:24 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:507:24
213.65:497:25
313.65:477:26
413.75:467:27
513.75:457:27
613.75:447:28
713.85:437:29
813.85:427:30
913.85:417:31
1013.95:407:32
1113.95:397:33
1213.95:387:34
1314.05:377:35
1414.05:367:36
1514.05:357:37
1614.15:347:38
1714.15:337:39
1814.15:327:39
1914.15:317:40
2014.25:317:41
2114.25:307:42
2214.25:297:43
2314.35:287:44
2414.35:287:44
2514.35:277:45
2614.35:267:46
2714.35:267:47
2814.45:257:48
2914.45:257:48
3014.45:247:49
3114.45:247:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
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
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Frankfort?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Frankfort for sightseeing.

What to pack for Frankfort in May

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

In May, Frankfort sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 57°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Frankfort 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 Frankfort peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Frankfort 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 Frankfort is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Dec 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Frankfort?

Frankfort sits at 38.2°N, 84.9°W, 509 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Georgetown, 17 mi away.

Topography around Frankfort

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Frankfort has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 ft around an average of 659 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,132 ft.

The land around Frankfort is covered by trees (55%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and grassland (42%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and grassland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
407 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
1,132 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Georgetown 17 mi · Shelbyville 19 mi · Lexington-Fayette 25 mi · Lexington 26 mi · Nicholasville 27 mi · Jeffersontown 37 mi · Danville 39 mi · Fern Creek 39 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 Frankfort (38.2009°, -84.8733°, elevation 509 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).