Lancaster weather in May

In May, Lancaster sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 13.6 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 Lancaster's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
13.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:21 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Lancaster is city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States.

Density
812/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lancaster reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°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 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16748
26849
36849
46949
56950
66950
76950
87051
97051
107051
117052
127152
137152
147152
157153
167253
177253
187254
197354
207354
217355
227455
237455
247456
257456
267556
277557
287657
297657
307658
317658

How May really feels in Lancaster

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.

Lancaster 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
Jan37° / 23°3.611.25.69.50.0
Feb41° / 25°3.1104.410.40.2
Mar51° / 33°4.311.62.611.72.3
Apr63° / 44°4.712.60.5135.0
May72° / 53°4.713.6014.26.1
Jun80° / 62°4.312.2014.86.1
Jul83° / 66°3.811.8014.55.5
Aug83° / 64°3.210.2013.66.1
Sep76° / 57°3.28.3012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.19.40.210.95.8
Nov51° / 35°3.39.519.82.6
Dec41° / 28°3.610.53.29.20.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23862
33862
43862
53862
63961
73961
83961
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174060
184159
194159
204159
214159
224258
234258
244258
254357
264357
274555
284555
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lancaster gets around 4.7 in of rain over 13.6 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 44% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
243
343
443
543
644
744
844
944
1044
1145
1245
1345
1445
1545
1645
1745
1845
1945
2045
2144
2244
2344
2443
2543
2643
2743
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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18113600
28113600
37914700
47714810
57515910
674151010
772151120
872151120
971151220
1068161330
1166161440
1266161440
1364161550
1464161550
1561171660
1660171670
1758171780
1858171780
1956171890
20551718100
21531719110
22521819110
23501820120
24491820130
25481820130
26471821140
27461821140
28451821150
29451822150
30441722160
31431722171

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
217calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:38 AM to 5:11 AM, and sunset from 7:17 PM to 7:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:387:17
213.75:377:18
313.75:357:19
413.85:347:20
513.85:337:21
613.85:327:22
713.95:317:23
813.95:297:24
913.95:287:25
1014.05:277:26
1114.05:267:27
1214.15:257:28
1314.15:247:29
1414.15:237:30
1514.15:227:31
1614.25:217:32
1714.25:207:33
1814.25:197:34
1914.35:197:35
2014.35:187:36
2114.35:177:37
2214.45:167:38
2314.45:157:38
2414.45:157:39
2514.45:147:40
2614.55:137:41
2714.55:137:42
2814.55:127:43
2914.55:127:43
3014.65:117:44
3114.65:117:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.69 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
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lancaster?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lancaster for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lancaster in May

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

In May, Lancaster sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lancaster 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 Lancaster peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lancaster 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 Lancaster is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1117 µg/m³Oct 247 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster sits at 39.7°N, 82.6°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Pickerington, 14 mi away.

Topography around Lancaster

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lancaster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 889 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 ft.

The land around Lancaster is covered by trees (45%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%), cropland (36%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) and cropland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
548 ft
50 miles
925 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Pickerington 14 mi · Pataskala 20 mi · Reynoldsburg 20 mi · Whitehall 23 mi · Gahanna 26 mi · Newark 26 mi · Columbus 27 mi · Grove City 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 Lancaster (39.7137°, -82.5993°, elevation 879 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).