Kankakee weather in May

In May, Kankakee sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 4.5 in of rain across 13.1 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 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kankakee's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kankakee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.5 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
4:39 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
64%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Kankakee is city in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States.

Density
665/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 67°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Kankakee reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16747
26748
36748
46848
56849
66949
76949
86950
97050
107051
117051
127151
137151
147152
157152
167252
177253
187253
197353
207354
217354
227454
237455
247455
257455
267556
277556
287657
297657
307657
317658

How May really feels in Kankakee

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.

Kankakee 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
Jan33° / 19°2.58.95.39.40.0
Feb38° / 22°2.17.44.210.40.0
Mar49° / 31°3.110.42.211.72.0
Apr62° / 42°4.312.20.613.14.8
May72° / 52°4.513.1014.36.1
Jun80° / 62°4.112.4014.96.0
Jul83° / 66°3.711.2014.75.7
Aug82° / 64°3.49.5013.66.5
Sep76° / 56°3.08.1012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.29.10.110.95.8
Nov50° / 34°2.98.61.19.72.3
Dec38° / 25°2.38.23.49.10.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33763
43862
53862
63763
73763
83862
93862
103961
113961
123961
133961
143961
154060
164060
174060
184159
194258
204159
214159
224258
234258
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kankakee gets around 4.5 in of rain over 13.1 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 43% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
242
342
442
542
642
742
842
942
1041
1142
1242
1342
1442
1542
1642
1742
1843
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

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 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18610310
28411410
38411410
48212510
58013520
67913620
77814620
87614730
97614730
107415830
117315930
127116940
137116940
1470161040
1568171050
1667171150
1767171150
1865171260
1965171260
2063171370
2162171470
2260181480
2358181581
2457181591
2555191691
26541916101
27531917101
28521917111
29512017111
30502018121
31492018121

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
39light 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
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 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 4:56 AM to 4:28 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:566:41
213.84:556:42
313.84:546:43
413.94:526:44
513.94:516:45
613.94:506:46
714.04:496:47
814.04:486:48
914.04:466:49
1014.14:456:50
1114.14:446:51
1214.24:436:52
1314.24:426:53
1414.24:416:55
1514.34:406:56
1614.34:396:57
1714.34:386:58
1814.44:376:59
1914.44:366:59
2014.44:357:00
2114.54:347:01
2214.54:337:02
2314.54:337:03
2414.54:327:04
2514.64:317:05
2614.64:317:06
2714.64:307:07
2814.64:297:08
2914.74:297:09
3014.74:287:09
3114.74:287:10

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kankakee?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kankakee for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kankakee in May

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

In May, Kankakee sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kankakee 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 at the nearest coast (about 43 mi away) 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 Kankakee 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 Kankakee peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kankakee 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 Kankakee 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 Kankakee?

Kankakee sits at 41.1°N, 87.9°W, 656 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bradley, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Kankakee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kankakee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 633 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 ft.

The land around Kankakee is covered by artificial surfaces (37%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (75%) within 10 miles, and cropland (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
564 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Bradley 1.2 mi · Bourbonnais 2.5 mi · Frankfort 26 mi · Park Forest 27 mi · Matteson 27 mi · New Lenox 27 mi · Mokena 28 mi · Chicago Heights 29 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 Kankakee (41.12°, -87.8611°, elevation 656 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).