Kirksville weather in May

In May, Kirksville sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 5.1 in of rain across 13.1 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 77°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kirksville's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kirksville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.1 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:00 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Kirksville is city in and county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States.

Density
469/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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 68°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical May day in Kirksville reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 83°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)
16749
26749
36849
46850
56950
66951
76951
87051
97052
107052
117153
127153
137153
147253
157254
167254
177355
187355
197355
207455
217456
227456
237456
247557
257557
267658
277658
287658
297759
307759
317760

How May really feels in Kirksville

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.

Kirksville 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
Jan34° / 19°1.66.64.59.50.0
Feb39° / 22°2.06.7410.40.1
Mar51° / 33°3.09.12.311.72.5
Apr62° / 43°4.511.40.6135.1
May72° / 54°5.113.1014.26.2
Jun82° / 64°4.211014.86.0
Jul85° / 68°3.99.5014.65.3
Aug83° / 65°3.79013.66.0
Sep76° / 56°3.37.9012.37.3
Oct64° / 45°2.980.210.95.9
Nov50° / 33°2.471.19.82.4
Dec38° / 24°1.96.339.20.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53961
63961
73961
84060
94159
104159
114258
124357
134357
144357
154456
164456
174357
184357
194456
204456
214357
224357
234357
244456
254357
264357
274258
284456
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kirksville gets around 5.1 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 42% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
445
545
645
744
843
943
1042
1141
1241
1340
1440
1539
1639
1739
1840
1940
2040
2141
2241
2341
2442
2542
2642
2743
2843
2943
3043
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 60% 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 (%)
18112610
27913710
37713820
47514920
573151020
671161120
770161220
868161330
966171430
1066171430
1164171540
1263171640
1362171650
1462161750
1562161750
1660161860
1759161870
1859161870
1957161980
2056161990
21541620100
22531620110
23521720110
24501721120
25481721130
26471821140
27451821150
28441921161
29421921161
30412021171
31402021181

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:17 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 6:58 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:176:58
213.75:166:59
313.85:147:00
413.85:137:01
513.85:127:02
613.95:117:03
713.95:107:04
813.95:087:05
914.05:077:06
1014.05:067:07
1114.15:057:08
1214.15:047:09
1314.15:037:10
1414.25:027:11
1514.25:017:12
1614.25:007:13
1714.34:597:14
1814.34:587:15
1914.34:577:16
2014.34:567:17
2114.44:567:18
2214.44:557:19
2314.44:547:20
2414.54:537:21
2514.54:537:21
2614.54:527:22
2714.54:517:23
2814.64:517:24
2914.64:507:25
3014.64:507:26
3114.64:497:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.87 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kirksville?

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
4.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kirksville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kirksville in May

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

In May, Kirksville sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kirksville 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 Kirksville 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kirksville 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 Kirksville is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1816 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kirksville?

Kirksville sits at 40.2°N, 92.6°W, 981 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ottumwa, 58 mi away.

Topography around Kirksville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kirksville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 ft around an average of 955 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 ft.

The land around Kirksville is covered by grassland (40%) and trees (33%) within 2 miles, trees (38%), grassland (36%) and cropland (24%) within 10 miles, and cropland (36%), grassland (34%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
184 ft
10 miles
302 ft
50 miles
577 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Ottumwa 58 mi · Quincy 65 mi · Hannibal 73 mi · Columbia 87 mi · Burlington 88 mi · Indianola 95 mi · Macomb 103 mi · Newton 107 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 Kirksville (40.1947°, -92.5833°, elevation 981 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).