Lexington-Fayette weather in May

In May, Lexington-Fayette sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 13.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 78°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lexington-Fayette's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lexington-Fayette's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
13.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:33 AM – 7:36 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Lexington-Fayette is city in and county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
425/km²
people per km²
Founded
1974

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 71°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lexington-Fayette reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°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 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17052
27152
37153
47153
57253
67254
77254
87254
97355
107355
117355
127356
137456
147456
157456
167457
177557
187557
197558
207658
217658
227659
237759
247759
257760
267860
277860
287861
297861
307961
317962

How May really feels in Lexington-Fayette

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.

Lexington-Fayette 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
Jan42° / 28°3.710.43.39.70.3
Feb46° / 30°3.810.2310.51.2
Mar55° / 37°4.512.11.711.73.4
Apr66° / 47°4.912.10.3135.7
May75° / 57°4.813.40146.2
Jun83° / 65°4.313.3014.65.4
Jul86° / 69°4.112.5014.44.8
Aug85° / 67°3.110.5013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.58.4012.36.9
Oct67° / 48°3.48.60.1116.5
Nov55° / 38°3.58.90.59.93.6
Dec46° / 32°4.210.92.19.41.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34258
44258
54258
64258
74060
84060
94060
104159
114060
124060
134060
144159
154159
164060
174060
184060
193961
204060
214159
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284357
294357
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lexington-Fayette gets around 4.8 in of rain over 13.4 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 43% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
544
644
744
844
944
1044
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
168181310
265191510
363191620
461201720
559201830
657211930
756211940
854212050
952212160
1051212170
1150212180
1248212290
13472022100
14472022120
15461922130
16451922140
17451822150
18441822160
19431822170
20421822181
21401722191
22391722201
23381822211
24361823221
25351823222
26341923232
27322023232
28312023232
29292123242
30282123252
31272224253

Wind in May

Winds average 6 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
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:487:22
213.65:477:23
313.65:467:24
413.75:457:25
513.75:447:26
613.75:427:26
713.85:417:27
813.85:407:28
913.85:397:29
1013.95:387:30
1113.95:377:31
1213.95:367:32
1314.05:357:33
1414.05:347:34
1514.05:337:35
1614.15:337:36
1714.15:327:36
1814.15:317:37
1914.15:307:38
2014.25:297:39
2114.25:297:40
2214.25:287:41
2314.25:277:42
2414.35:267:42
2514.35:267:43
2614.35:257:44
2714.35:257:45
2814.45:247:46
2914.45:247:46
3014.45:237:47
3114.45:237:48

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lexington-Fayette?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lexington-Fayette for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lexington-Fayette in May

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

In May, Lexington-Fayette sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 57°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lexington-Fayette in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lexington-Fayette 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 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Dec 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lexington-Fayette?

Lexington-Fayette sits at 38.0°N, 84.5°W, 1,001 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lexington, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Lexington-Fayette

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lexington-Fayette has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft around an average of 1,001 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,266 ft.

The land around Lexington-Fayette is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), trees (37%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (56%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (51%) and grassland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
164 ft
10 miles
302 ft
50 miles
1,266 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Lexington 4.3 mi · Georgetown 12 mi · Nicholasville 13 mi · Winchester 16 mi · Richmond 23 mi · Frankfort 25 mi · Danville 33 mi · Shelbyville 43 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 Lexington-Fayette (38.0498°, -84.4586°, elevation 1,001 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).