Lawrence weather in May

In May, Lawrence sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 6.0 in of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 78°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lawrence's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lawrence's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Precipitation
6.0 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:14 AM – 7:21 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Lawrence is city in and county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States.

Density
1,058/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 70°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lawrence reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16951
26951
37051
47052
57052
67153
77153
87253
97254
107254
117355
127355
137355
147456
157456
167456
177457
187557
197557
207558
217658
227658
237659
247759
257760
267760
277860
287861
297861
307961
317962

How May really feels in Lawrence

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.

Lawrence 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
Jan39° / 22°1.35.53.19.60.0
Feb44° / 26°1.75.82.710.50.8
Mar55° / 35°2.98.91.811.73.6
Apr65° / 46°4.6110.4135.7
May74° / 56°6.012.40.114.16.4
Jun84° / 66°5.011.6014.75.5
Jul88° / 70°3.69.5014.54.7
Aug86° / 68°4.08.8013.55.2
Sep79° / 59°3.68012.37.1
Oct67° / 47°3.280.1116.6
Nov53° / 36°2.15.90.99.93.5
Dec42° / 26°1.75.22.39.30.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34555
44654
54654
64654
74753
84753
94753
104852
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
184852
194852
204951
214852
224852
234852
244753
254753
264753
274654
284753
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lawrence gets around 6.0 in of rain and snow over 12.4 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 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
940
1040
1140
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2340
2440
2540
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17515820
27316920
370171030
468181130
565191240
663201340
762201440
860201550
959201650
1057201760
1156201860
1254201970
1353202070
1453192080
1552192180
1650192290
17491823100
18471823110
19461824120
20441725130
21431725140
22411826150
23391826160
24371827170
25361927190
26341927200
27322027210
28312026221
29292026241
30282026251
31272125261

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light 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
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:30 AM to 5:03 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:307:06
213.65:297:07
313.75:277:08
413.75:267:09
513.85:257:10
613.85:247:11
713.85:237:12
813.95:227:13
913.95:207:14
1013.95:197:15
1114.05:187:16
1214.05:177:17
1314.05:167:18
1414.15:157:19
1514.15:147:20
1614.15:147:21
1714.25:137:22
1814.25:127:23
1914.25:117:24
2014.25:107:24
2114.35:097:25
2214.35:097:26
2314.35:087:27
2414.35:077:28
2514.45:077:29
2614.45:067:30
2714.45:057:30
2814.45:057:31
2914.55:047:32
3014.55:047:33
3114.55:037:33

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.59 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lawrence?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lawrence for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lawrence in May

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

In May, Lawrence sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 56°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lawrence 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 Lawrence peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — 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 highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lawrence 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 Lawrence is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodApr 1416 µg/m³Oct 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May12Good
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lawrence?

Lawrence sits at 39.0°N, 95.2°W, 863 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gardner, 20 mi away.

Topography around Lawrence

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lawrence has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 873 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 381 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 863 ft.

The land around Lawrence is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (35%), grassland (31%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (38%), trees (29%) and cropland (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
381 ft
50 miles
863 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Gardner 20 mi · Olathe 23 mi · Topeka 24 mi · Lenexa 27 mi · Shawnee 28 mi · Leavenworth 29 mi · Overland Park 30 mi · Prairie Village 32 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 Lawrence (38.9717°, -95.2352°, elevation 863 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).