Independence weather in May

In May, Independence sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 4.9 in of rain across 12.9 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Independence's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Independence's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.9 in
12.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:31 AM – 7:38 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Independence is city in Kentucky, United States.

Density
582/km²
people per km²
Founded
1842

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 70°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Independence reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 85°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)
16951
27052
37052
47052
57153
67153
77153
87254
97254
107255
117255
127355
137355
147356
157356
167456
177456
187457
197457
207557
217558
227558
237658
247659
257659
267759
277760
287760
297860
307861
317861

How May really feels in Independence

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.

Independence 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
Jan40° / 26°3.310.23.99.60.0
Feb43° / 28°3.19.43.710.50.6
Mar53° / 36°4.211.61.911.72.9
Apr65° / 46°4.712.70.5135.4
May74° / 56°4.912.9014.16.2
Jun82° / 65°4.112.4014.75.7
Jul85° / 68°3.811.9014.55.0
Aug84° / 67°2.99.8013.55.6
Sep78° / 59°2.87.9012.37.1
Oct66° / 47°3.18.60.1116.2
Nov53° / 38°3.39.20.79.93.2
Dec43° / 30°3.710.22.69.30.6

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 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33862
43961
53862
63862
73862
83763
93763
103763
113763
123763
133664
143763
153763
163862
173862
183862
193862
203862
214159
224159
234159
244258
254258
264258
274357
284456
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Independence gets around 4.9 in of rain over 12.9 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 42% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
347
446
546
646
746
845
945
1045
1145
1244
1344
1443
1543
1642
1741
1841
1940
2040
2140
2239
2339
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17317910
272171010
369181120
468181220
567181320
664191430
762191540
862181640
960181750
1059181760
1157181870
1256171980
1356171980
1455162090
15541620100
16531620110
17511621120
18501621130
19491621141
20471621151
21461622161
22451622171
23431622181
24421622182
25411622192
26401722192
27391722202
28381723212
29371723212
30361823222
31351823232

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
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
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 30 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 5:47 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 7:24 PM to 7:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:477:24
213.65:467:25
313.75:457:26
413.75:437:27
513.85:427:28
613.85:417:29
713.85:407:29
813.95:397:30
913.95:387:31
1013.95:377:32
1114.05:367:33
1214.05:357:34
1314.05:347:35
1414.15:337:36
1514.15:327:37
1614.15:317:38
1714.15:307:39
1814.25:297:40
1914.25:287:41
2014.25:277:42
2114.35:277:42
2214.35:267:43
2314.35:257:44
2414.35:257:45
2514.45:247:46
2614.45:237:47
2714.45:237:48
2814.45:227:48
2914.55:227:49
3014.55:217:50
3114.55:217:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.69 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Independence?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Independence for sightseeing.

What to pack for Independence in May

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

In May, Independence sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 56°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Independence in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Independence peaks around June 21 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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Independence 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 Independence is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Oct 249 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Independence?

Independence sits at 38.9°N, 84.5°W, 899 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Florence, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Independence

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Independence has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft around an average of 856 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 528 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 807 ft.

The land around Independence is covered by trees (54%) and grassland (36%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
312 ft
10 miles
528 ft
50 miles
807 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Florence 5.6 mi · Erlanger 6.2 mi · Covington 9.9 mi · Fort Thomas 11 mi · Newport 11 mi · Burlington 11 mi · Cincinnati 13 mi · Norwood 16 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 Independence (38.9431°, -84.5441°, elevation 899 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).