Griffith weather in May

In May, Griffith sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 4.5 in of rain across 12.1 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 64°F in the first days to 73°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Griffith's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Griffith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.5 in
12.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:36 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
63%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Griffith is town in Calumet and St. John townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States.

Density
818/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 64°F in the first days to 73°F by the end.

A typical May day in Griffith reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16347
26447
36447
46448
56548
66549
76549
86649
96650
106750
116750
126751
136851
146851
156851
166952
176952
186953
197053
207053
217054
227154
237154
247155
257255
267256
277256
287356
297357
307357
317457

How May really feels in Griffith

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.

Griffith 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
Jan32° / 19°2.59.16.19.30.0
Feb35° / 22°2.17.6510.30.0
Mar46° / 31°3.010.63.111.71.2
Apr58° / 41°4.312.50.913.13.9
May69° / 52°4.512.1014.36.0
Jun78° / 62°4.011.7014.96.4
Jul82° / 67°3.811.9014.76.1
Aug80° / 65°3.710.6013.76.6
Sep74° / 57°3.08.8012.37.0
Oct62° / 46°3.39.70.210.95.3
Nov48° / 35°2.89.11.29.71.8
Dec37° / 25°2.38.44.190.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23961
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
93961
104060
114060
124060
134159
144159
154159
164159
174258
184258
194258
204357
214357
224357
234357
244357
254357
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Griffith gets around 4.5 in of rain over 12.1 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 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2640
2740
2840
2941
3041
3141

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 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1899200
28610310
38610310
48411410
58411410
68212510
78112520
87913620
97913620
107614730
117614730
127515730
137415830
147315840
157116940
167116940
177016950
186917950
1967171060
2067171060
2165171170
2263181180
2362181280
2461181290
2560191290
26581913100
27581913100
28542014111
29542014111
30522015121
31512115121

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light 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
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 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 4:54 AM to 4:25 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:546:40
213.84:536:41
313.84:516:42
413.94:506:43
513.94:496:44
614.04:476:45
714.04:466:46
814.04:456:47
914.14:446:49
1014.14:436:50
1114.24:416:51
1214.24:406:52
1314.24:396:53
1414.34:386:54
1514.34:376:55
1614.34:366:56
1714.44:356:57
1814.44:346:58
1914.44:336:59
2014.54:327:00
2114.54:317:01
2214.54:317:02
2314.54:307:03
2414.64:297:04
2514.64:287:04
2614.64:287:05
2714.74:277:06
2814.74:267:07
2914.74:267:08
3014.74:257:09
3114.84:257:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.63 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.97 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Griffith?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Griffith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Griffith in May

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

In May, Griffith sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Griffith in May

The nearest coast averages about 46°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 10 to Sep 16 — about 2.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May46Bracing
Jun59Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Griffith 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 Griffith peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Griffith 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 Griffith is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Griffith?

Griffith sits at 41.5°N, 87.4°W, 630 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Highland, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Griffith

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Griffith has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 ft around an average of 636 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 673 ft.

The land around Griffith is covered by trees (50%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 10 miles, and cropland (39%) and water (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
108 ft
10 miles
276 ft
50 miles
673 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Highland 2.5 mi · Schererville 3.7 mi · Munster 5.0 mi · Hammond 5.6 mi · Dyer 5.6 mi · Merrillville 5.6 mi · Gary 6.2 mi · Lansing 6.2 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 Griffith (41.5284°, -87.4236°, elevation 630 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).