Junction City weather in May

In May, Junction City sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 5.5 in of rain across 12.1 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 80°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 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 Junction City's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Junction City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.5 in
12.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:20 AM – 7:27 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Junction City is city in and county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States.

Density
778/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 70°F in the first days to 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Junction City reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17049
27050
37150
47151
57151
67252
77252
87352
97353
107353
117454
127454
137454
147555
157555
167555
177656
187656
197657
207657
217757
227758
237858
247858
257859
267859
277960
287960
298060
308061
318061

How May really feels in Junction 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.

Junction City 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° / 22°0.94.32.89.60.0
Feb45° / 25°1.45.32.710.51.0
Mar56° / 35°2.47.91.711.73.9
Apr66° / 45°3.69.80.5136.1
May75° / 55°5.512.1014.16.5
Jun85° / 66°4.510.6014.75.3
Jul90° / 70°3.89.7014.54.1
Aug88° / 67°3.78.9013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.27012.37.0
Oct68° / 46°2.57.30.2116.9
Nov54° / 35°1.75.119.93.8
Dec43° / 25°1.44.62.49.30.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34852
44753
54753
64951
74951
85050
95050
105050
115149
125050
135149
145149
155050
165050
175050
184951
194951
204852
214852
224852
234951
244951
254951
264951
274951
284951
295050
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Junction City gets around 5.5 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
240
340
440
540
640
740
839
939
1039
1138
1238
1338
1438
1537
1637
1737
1837
1937
2038
2138
2238
2339
2439
2540
2641
2741
2841
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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18012620
27714720
37615720
47416820
57117930
670171030
768181130
867191130
965191240
1063201340
1162201440
1261201540
1359211550
1458211650
1556211760
1656211760
1755201870
1852202080
1951202180
2049202290
21482023100
22462024100
23442025110
24432026110
25412027120
26392027130
27372028141
28362128151
29342129161
30322129171
31312129181

Wind in May

Winds average 9 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
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
319light breeze

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 5:36 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:367:13
213.75:357:14
313.75:347:15
413.75:327:16
513.85:317:17
613.85:307:18
713.85:297:19
813.95:287:20
913.95:277:21
1013.95:267:22
1114.05:257:23
1214.05:247:24
1314.05:237:25
1414.15:227:25
1514.15:217:26
1614.15:207:27
1714.25:197:28
1814.25:187:29
1914.25:177:30
2014.25:167:31
2114.35:167:32
2214.35:157:33
2314.35:147:34
2414.35:137:34
2514.45:137:35
2614.45:127:36
2714.45:127:37
2814.45:117:38
2914.55:107:38
3014.55:107:39
3114.55:097:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Junction City

In seasonPeak

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

Junction City'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 Junction City?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Junction City in May

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

In May, Junction City sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Junction City 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 Junction City peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 23UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Junction 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 Junction City is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1530 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Junction City?

Junction City sits at 39.0°N, 96.8°W, 1,106 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Manhattan, 17 mi away.

Topography around Junction City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Junction City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Junction City is covered by trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (49%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (56%) and cropland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
384 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Manhattan 17 mi · Salina 44 mi · Emporia 55 mi · Topeka 62 mi · Newton 73 mi · Lawrence 86 mi · Hutchinson 89 mi · Wichita 96 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 Junction City (39.0286°, -96.8314°, elevation 1,106 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).