Liberal weather in May

In May, Liberal sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 2.5 in of rain across 8.4 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 73°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Liberal's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Liberal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.5 in
8.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:41 AM – 7:39 PM
Cloud cover
46%
11th clearest
Wind
11 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Liberal is city in and county seat of Seward County, Kansas, Unite States.

Density
682/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 73°F in the first days to 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in Liberal reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 25°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 65°F and 91°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17348
27348
37349
47449
57449
67550
77550
87651
97651
107652
117752
127752
137853
147853
157854
167954
177954
188055
198055
208055
218156
228156
238156
248257
258257
268258
278258
288358
298358
308359
318459

How May really feels in Liberal

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.

Liberal 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
Jan47° / 24°0.62.929.72.0
Feb52° / 27°0.73.31.910.63.2
Mar61° / 35°1.55.31.611.75.8
Apr69° / 43°1.86.20.612.97.2
May78° / 54°2.58.40147.1
Jun88° / 64°2.68.7014.54.7
Jul93° / 68°1.98014.33.4
Aug90° / 67°2.58.7013.44.2
Sep83° / 59°1.45.9012.36.7
Oct71° / 46°1.950.3117.8
Nov58° / 34°0.630.9105.3
Dec48° / 26°1.03.62.39.52.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36535
46436
56535
66535
76634
86733
96733
106832
116832
126832
136832
146832
156733
166733
176535
186535
196436
206436
216436
226436
236337
246436
256436
266436
276436
286436
296436
306436
316535

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Liberal gets around 2.5 in of rain over 8.4 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 27% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
327
427
526
626
725
825
924
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1525
1626
1726
1827
1928
2028
2129
2229
2330
2430
2531
2631
2731
2832
2932
3032
3131

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196400
296400
395500
493610
593610
692710
791810
891810
990910
10891010
11881110
12871120
13861220
14851320
15831430
16821530
17801640
18791740
19771850
20761950
21732160
22722260
23702370
24692470
25662680
26642790
276228100
285930110
295731120
305532130
315233141

Wind in May

Winds average 11 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 12 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 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 5:56 AM to 5:31 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 7:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:567:26
213.55:557:27
313.65:547:28
413.65:527:29
513.65:517:30
613.75:507:30
713.75:497:31
813.75:487:32
913.85:477:33
1013.85:467:34
1113.85:457:35
1213.95:447:36
1313.95:437:37
1413.95:427:37
1513.95:417:38
1614.05:417:39
1714.05:407:40
1814.05:397:41
1914.15:387:42
2014.15:387:43
2114.15:377:43
2214.15:367:44
2314.25:357:45
2414.25:357:46
2514.25:347:47
2614.25:347:47
2714.35:337:48
2814.35:337:49
2914.35:327:50
3014.35:327:50
3114.35:317:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.68 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Liberal?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Liberal for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Liberal in May

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

In May, Liberal sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 54°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Liberal 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 Liberal peaks around July 11 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Liberal?

Liberal sits at 37.0°N, 100.9°W, 2,835 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Garden City, 64 mi away.

Topography around Liberal

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Liberal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 2,841 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,594 ft.

The land around Liberal is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, cropland (56%) and grassland (42%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and cropland (50%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
79 ft
10 miles
430 ft
50 miles
1,594 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Garden City 64 mi · Dodge City 70 mi · Dumas 100 mi · Pampa 104 mi · Amarillo 135 mi · Great Bend 149 mi · Hays 153 mi · Enid 175 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 Liberal (37.0431°, -100.921°, elevation 2,835 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).