Lancaster weather in May

In May, Lancaster sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 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 Lancaster's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:55 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
63%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Lancaster is city in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
3,116/km²
people per km²
Founded
1730

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 55°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16850
26850
36850
46851
56951
66951
76952
86952
97052
107053
117053
127153
137153
147154
157154
167254
177255
187255
197355
207356
217356
227456
237457
247557
257557
267558
277658
287659
297659
307759
317760

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 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 26°3.19.13.99.50.0
Feb42° / 27°2.993.810.40.3
Mar51° / 34°3.910.32.911.72.4
Apr63° / 45°3.610.30.3135.3
May72° / 55°3.611.4014.26.4
Jun81° / 64°3.711.1014.86.0
Jul85° / 69°3.911.1014.65.1
Aug83° / 67°3.410.3013.65.8
Sep76° / 60°4.39.3012.36.9
Oct65° / 48°3.68.40.110.96.0
Nov53° / 38°3.08.20.49.83.2
Dec44° / 31°3.69.22.39.20.6

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44357
54357
64456
74456
84456
94456
104357
114357
124258
134258
144357
154357
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244258
254357
264357
274357
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lancaster gets around 3.6 in of rain over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
737
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1636
1736
1836
1936
2037
2137
2237
2337
2437
2537
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1841240
2821350
3821350
4811450
5791560
6781561
7761671
8761671
9751771
10741781
11731782
12721792
13711793
146918103
156818104
166718114
176618115
186418126
196319126
206119137
215919148
225719159
2356191510
2454201610
2552201711
2652201711
2750201812
2849211812
2948211813
3047211913
3146211914

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
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
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 5:12 AM to 4:44 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 7:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:126:53
213.75:116:54
313.85:106:55
413.85:086:56
513.85:076:57
613.95:066:58
713.95:056:59
813.95:047:00
914.05:037:01
1014.05:017:02
1114.05:007:03
1214.14:597:04
1314.14:587:05
1414.14:577:06
1514.24:567:07
1614.24:557:08
1714.24:547:09
1814.34:537:10
1914.34:537:10
2014.34:527:11
2114.44:517:12
2214.44:507:13
2314.44:497:14
2414.44:497:15
2514.54:487:16
2614.54:477:17
2714.54:477:18
2814.54:467:18
2914.64:467:19
3014.64:457:20
3114.64:447:21

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 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 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
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
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).

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.5
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 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 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 23 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
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 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1417 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster sits at 40.0°N, 76.3°W, 361 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lebanon, 22 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 246 ft around an average of 348 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 725 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,991 ft.

The land around Lancaster is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, cropland (33%), trees (31%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
246 ft
10 miles
725 ft
50 miles
1,991 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Lebanon 22 mi · York 23 mi · Reading 29 mi · Bel Air North 34 mi · North Bel Air 35 mi · Harrisburg 35 mi · South Bel Air 35 mi · Bel Air South 37 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 (40.0379°, -76.3055°, elevation 361 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).