Jefferson City weather in May

In May, Jefferson City sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 4.9 in of rain across 13 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Jefferson City's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jefferson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.9 in
13 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:02 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Jefferson City is capital city of the U.S. state of Missouri and seat of Cole County.

Density
438/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Jefferson City reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17052
27152
37152
47153
57253
67253
77254
87354
97355
107355
117455
127455
137456
147456
157556
167557
177557
187657
197658
207658
217658
227759
237759
247859
257860
267860
277860
287961
297961
307962
318062

How May really feels in Jefferson 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.

Jefferson City 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
Jan41° / 24°2.47.53.29.60.0
Feb46° / 28°2.47.22.610.51.2
Mar56° / 37°3.410.51.511.73.8
Apr67° / 47°5.011.40.3135.8
May75° / 57°4.913014.16.3
Jun84° / 66°4.212014.65.3
Jul89° / 70°3.410.1014.44.3
Aug87° / 67°3.18.7013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.57.9012.36.9
Oct68° / 48°3.28.40.1116.7
Nov55° / 37°3.280.89.93.7
Dec44° / 29°2.47.31.99.40.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44258
54357
64357
74357
84456
94555
104456
114555
124555
134654
144654
154654
164555
174654
184654
194555
204456
214456
224357
234456
244357
254258
264357
274258
284258
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Jefferson City gets around 4.9 in of rain over 13 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
643
743
843
942
1042
1142
1241
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 16% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
169191020
267191130
364201330
462201440
560201550
658211650
757211660
855211770
955201870
1053201980
1152201990
12502020100
13492020110
14482021120
15471921130
16451921140
17441921150
18431822171
19411822181
20401822201
21381822211
22361823221
23351823241
24331823252
25311823262
26301823272
27281923282
28271923292
29251923303
30241923313
31231923323

Wind in May

Winds average 7 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
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
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 5:18 AM to 4:52 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:186:54
213.65:176:54
313.75:166:55
413.75:156:56
513.75:136:57
613.85:126:58
713.85:116:59
813.85:107:00
913.95:097:01
1013.95:087:02
1113.95:077:03
1214.05:067:04
1314.05:057:05
1414.05:047:06
1514.15:037:07
1614.15:027:08
1714.15:017:09
1814.15:007:09
1914.25:007:10
2014.24:597:11
2114.24:587:12
2214.34:577:13
2314.34:577:14
2414.34:567:15
2514.34:557:15
2614.44:557:16
2714.44:547:17
2814.44:547:18
2914.44:537:19
3014.44:537:19
3114.54:527:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.42 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Jefferson City

In seasonPeak

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

Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City?

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
5.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Jefferson City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Jefferson City in May

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

In May, Jefferson City sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 57°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Jefferson 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 Jefferson City peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Nov 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May12Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jefferson City?

Jefferson City sits at 38.6°N, 92.2°W, 630 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Columbia, 27 mi away.

Topography around Jefferson City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jefferson City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft around an average of 610 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 367 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 768 ft.

The land around Jefferson City is covered by trees (33%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (53%) and grassland (28%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
299 ft
10 miles
367 ft
50 miles
768 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Columbia 27 mi · Rolla 48 mi · Sedalia 58 mi · Fort Leonard Wood 60 mi · Wentzville 73 mi · O'Fallon 81 mi · Wildwood 81 mi · Saint Peters 85 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 Jefferson City (38.5767°, -92.1735°, 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. 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).