Henderson weather in May

In May, Henderson sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 12.7 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 73°F in the first days to 80°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 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Henderson's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Henderson's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
12.7 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:46 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Henderson is city in and county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
624/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 73°F in the first days to 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Henderson reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 65°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17254
27355
37355
47355
57456
67456
77456
87457
97557
107557
117558
127658
137658
147659
157659
167759
177760
187760
197760
207861
217861
227861
237962
247962
257962
268063
278063
288063
298064
308164
318164

How May really feels in Henderson

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.

Henderson 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
Jan43° / 28°3.79.52.29.70.4
Feb47° / 31°3.492.410.51.5
Mar57° / 39°4.511.6111.73.9
Apr68° / 49°5.112.10.112.95.9
May77° / 59°4.612.70146.3
Jun85° / 68°3.711.3014.65.3
Jul87° / 71°3.39.7014.44.7
Aug86° / 69°2.98.4013.55.2
Sep81° / 61°3.47.7012.36.8
Oct69° / 49°3.67.80.1116.9
Nov56° / 39°3.890.6103.9
Dec46° / 31°4.210.11.89.41.3

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 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44060
54159
64159
74159
84159
94159
104159
114159
124258
134258
144258
154258
164159
174159
184159
194060
204060
214258
224159
234258
244258
254258
264357
274357
284357
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Henderson gets around 4.6 in of rain over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
344
444
543
643
742
842
941
1041
1141
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3039
3139

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 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
164181530
262181640
361181740
459191750
557191860
655191970
754191980
853191990
9512019100
10492019120
11482019130
12471920140
13461920150
14451920170
15441820180
16431720190
17431719200
18421719221
19411619231
20401619241
21381619251
22371619262
23361620272
24341620283
25331620283
26311721283
27301721294
28281821294
29271822295
30251922295
31241922306

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
57light breeze
67light breeze
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 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 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:01 AM to 4:36 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:016:34
213.65:006:35
313.64:596:36
413.74:586:37
513.74:576:38
613.74:556:39
713.84:546:40
813.84:536:40
913.84:526:41
1013.94:516:42
1113.94:506:43
1213.94:496:44
1313.94:486:45
1414.04:476:46
1514.04:466:47
1614.04:466:48
1714.14:456:49
1814.14:446:49
1914.14:436:50
2014.14:426:51
2114.24:426:52
2214.24:416:53
2314.24:406:54
2414.24:406:54
2514.34:396:55
2614.34:386:56
2714.34:386:57
2814.34:376:58
2914.44:376:58
3014.44:366:59
3114.44:367:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.42 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
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
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Henderson

In seasonPeak

None of Henderson's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Henderson sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Henderson?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Henderson for sightseeing.

What to pack for Henderson in May

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

In May, Henderson sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Henderson 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 Henderson peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateJul 11UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Henderson 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 Henderson is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1420 µg/m³Nov 139 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Henderson?

Henderson sits at 37.8°N, 87.6°W, 407 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Evansville, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Henderson

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Henderson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 ft around an average of 384 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 ft.

The land around Henderson is covered by cropland (30%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (54%) and trees (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (48%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
177 ft
10 miles
269 ft
50 miles
961 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Evansville 9.9 mi · Owensboro 26 mi · Madisonville 35 mi · Jasper 52 mi · Vincennes 58 mi · Hopkinsville 67 mi · Marion 74 mi · Paducah 76 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 Henderson (37.8362°, -87.59°, elevation 407 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).