Grand Island weather in May

In May, Grand Island sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 5.1 in of precipitation across 12.3 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 67°F in the first days to 76°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 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Grand Island's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Island's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.1 in
12.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:21 AM – 7:38 PM
Cloud cover
58%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Grand Island is city in and county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States.

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 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Grand Island reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 85°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)
16645
26645
36746
46746
56746
66847
76847
86947
96948
106948
117049
127049
137149
147150
157150
167251
177251
187252
197352
207352
217353
227353
237454
247454
257454
267555
277555
287655
297656
307656
317756

How May really feels in Grand Island

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.

Grand Island 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
Jan35° / 16°0.843.69.40.0
Feb40° / 19°0.94.33.410.40.1
Mar51° / 29°2.06.92.511.72.7
Apr61° / 39°3.49.61.413.15.2
May71° / 51°5.112.30.114.36.3
Jun82° / 62°4.110.3014.96.1
Jul86° / 66°3.09014.65.2
Aug84° / 64°3.08.9013.65.9
Sep77° / 55°2.47.1012.37.5
Oct64° / 41°2.56.70.710.96.3
Nov49° / 29°1.34.91.99.72.5
Dec38° / 19°1.04.23.49.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24852
34852
44951
54951
65050
75050
85050
95149
105149
115050
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195050
204951
214852
224951
234951
244852
254951
264951
274951
285050
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Grand Island gets around 5.1 in of rain and snow over 12.3 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 precipitation averages around 39% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
639
739
839
938
1038
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1738
1838
1939
2039
2140
2240
2341
2441
2541
2642
2742
2841
2941
3040
3140

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 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193520
292620
392620
491720
589830
688930
7871030
8861040
9851140
10841240
11811351
12801451
13781561
14771661
15761671
16751771
17731881
18711991
197019101
206920101
216621112
226521122
236322132
246222142
256122152
265923162
275823172
285623183
295523193
305224204
315124214

Wind in May

Winds average 10 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
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 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 5:39 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:397:22
213.85:377:23
313.85:367:25
413.85:357:26
513.95:347:27
613.95:327:28
714.05:317:29
814.05:307:30
914.05:297:31
1014.15:287:32
1114.15:267:33
1214.15:257:34
1314.25:247:35
1414.25:237:36
1514.25:227:37
1614.35:217:38
1714.35:207:39
1814.35:197:40
1914.45:187:41
2014.45:187:42
2114.45:177:43
2214.55:167:44
2314.55:157:45
2414.55:147:46
2514.55:147:46
2614.65:137:47
2714.65:127:48
2814.65:127:49
2914.65:117:50
3014.75:117:51
3114.75:107:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.94 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Grand Island

In seasonPeak

In May, Grand Island sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Grand Island's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Grand Island?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Grand Island for sightseeing.

What to pack for Grand Island in May

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

In May, Grand Island sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Grand Island 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 Grand Island peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Grand Island?

Grand Island sits at 40.9°N, 98.3°W, 1,860 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hastings, 24 mi away.

Topography around Grand Island

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Island has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 ft around an average of 1,857 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 948 ft.

The land around Grand Island is covered by artificial surfaces (43%), grassland (23%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (65%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (70%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
75 ft
10 miles
190 ft
50 miles
948 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hastings 24 mi · Kearney 42 mi · Columbus 62 mi · Lincoln 88 mi · Norfolk 90 mi · Fremont 102 mi · Papillion 121 mi · La Vista 122 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 Grand Island (40.925°, -98.342°, elevation 1,860 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).