Garden City weather in May

In May, Garden City sees average daytime highs of 76°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 2.7 in of rain across 9 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 71°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 Garden City's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Garden City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
76°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.7 in
9 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:38 AM – 7:41 PM
Cloud cover
49%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Garden City is city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States.

Density
1,030/km²
people per km²
Founded
1878

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 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Garden City reaches about 76°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 89°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17046
27146
37147
47247
57248
67348
77349
87349
97449
107450
117550
127551
137651
147651
157652
167752
177753
187753
197853
207854
217854
227955
237955
247955
258056
268056
278056
288057
298157
308157
318258

How May really feels in Garden City

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.

Garden City 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
Jan45° / 22°0.63.32.59.71.2
Feb49° / 25°0.73.52.410.52.3
Mar58° / 33°1.55.4211.75.0
Apr67° / 41°2.07.41136.7
May76° / 52°2.790147.1
Jun87° / 62°2.68014.65.2
Jul91° / 67°2.38.5014.43.9
Aug88° / 65°2.69013.54.6
Sep82° / 57°1.56012.37.0
Oct69° / 44°1.95.40.5117.6
Nov56° / 32°0.73.41.19.94.6
Dec46° / 24°0.93.72.79.41.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
26040
36139
46139
56238
66337
76436
86535
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146535
156436
166337
176337
186238
196139
206139
216040
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Garden City gets around 2.7 in of rain over 9 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 29% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
627
727
826
926
1026
1125
1225
1326
1426
1527
1627
1728
1829
1930
2030
2131
2231
2332
2432
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
3032
3132

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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
197300
296400
396400
495500
595500
694600
792710
891810
991810
1090910
11891010
12881110
13861220
14851320
15841420
16821530
17811630
18791740
19781840
20762040
21742150
22732250
23712360
24692470
25682570
26662680
27642790
286228100
296030100
305731111
315532121

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

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 5:54 AM to 5:28 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 7:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:547:27
213.65:537:28
313.65:527:29
413.75:517:30
513.75:497:31
613.75:487:32
713.85:477:33
813.85:467:34
913.85:457:35
1013.95:447:36
1113.95:437:37
1213.95:427:37
1314.05:417:38
1414.05:407:39
1514.05:397:40
1614.05:387:41
1714.15:387:42
1814.15:377:43
1914.15:367:44
2014.25:357:45
2114.25:347:45
2214.25:347:46
2314.25:337:47
2414.35:327:48
2514.35:327:49
2614.35:317:50
2714.35:307:50
2814.45:307:51
2914.45:297:52
3014.45:297:53
3114.45:287:53

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Garden City?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Garden City for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Garden City in May

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

In May, Garden City sees daytime highs around 76°F and nights near 52°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Garden City 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 Garden City peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Garden City?

Garden City sits at 38.0°N, 100.9°W, 2,838 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dodge City, 49 mi away.

Topography around Garden City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Garden City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 2,844 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,306 ft.

The land around Garden City is covered by artificial surfaces (39%) and grassland (35%) within 2 miles, cropland (61%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and cropland (71%) and grassland (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
259 ft
50 miles
1,306 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Dodge City 49 mi · Liberal 64 mi · Hays 104 mi · Great Bend 117 mi · Dumas 158 mi · Hutchinson 160 mi · Pampa 168 mi · Salina 186 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 Garden City (37.9717°, -100.8727°, elevation 2,838 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).