Lafayette weather in May

In May, Lafayette sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 11.9 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 64°F in the first days to 74°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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lafayette's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lafayette's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
5th warmest
Overnight low
44°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
11.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:51 AM – 7:03 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Lafayette is city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States.

Density
1,114/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 64°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lafayette reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16438
26439
36439
46539
56540
66640
76640
86641
96741
106742
116842
126842
136843
146943
156943
166944
177044
187044
197045
207145
217145
227146
237146
247246
257247
267347
277347
287348
297448
307448
317449

How May really feels in Lafayette

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.

Lafayette 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
Jan41° / 18°0.84.74.89.50.2
Feb44° / 20°0.85.65.510.41.0
Mar54° / 27°1.77.6511.73.5
Apr60° / 34°2.79.94.3134.9
May69° / 44°3.311.90.714.26.1
Jun80° / 53°2.19.2014.86.6
Jul86° / 59°1.78.5014.55.2
Aug84° / 57°1.67.3013.66.1
Sep77° / 49°1.56.10.412.37.6
Oct64° / 37°1.66.32.110.96.4
Nov51° / 26°1.15.84.69.82.9
Dec41° / 18°0.84.64.79.20.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
45050
55149
65149
75149
85050
95149
105149
115149
125149
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
184753
194753
204753
214753
224852
234852
244852
254852
264852
275050
285149
295149
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Lafayette gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 11.9 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 precipitation averages around 39% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1389
2388
3388
4377
5376
6366
7365
8365
9364
10364
11364
12363
13363
14373
15373
16382
17382
18392
19392
20401
21411
22411
23421
24421
25421
26420
27420
28410
29410
30410
31400

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:07 AM to 4:40 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:076:48
213.75:066:49
313.75:056:50
413.85:046:51
513.85:026:52
613.95:016:53
713.95:006:54
813.94:596:55
914.04:586:56
1014.04:576:57
1114.04:566:58
1214.14:546:59
1314.14:537:00
1414.14:527:01
1514.24:517:02
1614.24:517:03
1714.24:507:04
1814.34:497:05
1914.34:487:06
2014.34:477:06
2114.44:467:07
2214.44:457:08
2314.44:457:09
2414.44:447:10
2514.54:437:11
2614.54:437:12
2714.54:427:13
2814.54:417:13
2914.64:417:14
3014.64:407:15
3114.64:407:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.49 kWh/m² to a high of 7.42 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.79 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.9Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lafayette?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lafayette for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lafayette in May

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

In May, Lafayette sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 44°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Lafayette 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 Lafayette peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lafayette 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 Lafayette is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (May, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1620 µg/m³May 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lafayette?

Lafayette sits at 40.0°N, 105.1°W, 5,210 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Louisville, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Lafayette

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lafayette has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 ft around an average of 5,223 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,319 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,698 ft.

The land around Lafayette is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, grassland (49%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 10 miles, and grassland (39%) and trees (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
292 ft
10 miles
1,319 ft
50 miles
9,698 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Louisville 2.5 mi · Erie 4.3 mi · Broomfield 5.0 mi · Northglenn 9.3 mi · Boulder 9.9 mi · Thornton 11 mi · Westminster 11 mi · Sherrelwood 12 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 Lafayette (39.9936°, -105.0897°, elevation 5,210 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).