Lincoln weather in May

In May, Lincoln sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 5.1 in of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 78°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Lincoln's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lincoln's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.1 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:15 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Lincoln is capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and seat of Lancaster County.

Density
1,149/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lincoln reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16747
26847
36848
46948
56949
67049
77049
87150
97150
107151
117251
127251
137252
147352
157353
167353
177453
187454
197454
207455
217555
227555
237556
247656
257656
267657
277757
287758
297858
307858
317859

How May really feels in Lincoln

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.

Lincoln 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
Jan35° / 17°1.04.849.40.0
Feb39° / 20°1.25.13.410.40.1
Mar52° / 31°2.17.42.211.72.8
Apr63° / 41°3.610.21.113.15.4
May73° / 53°5.1120.114.26.4
Jun83° / 64°4.211014.95.7
Jul87° / 68°3.59.5014.64.8
Aug85° / 65°3.19.1013.65.6
Sep78° / 56°2.87.9012.37.2
Oct65° / 43°2.57.30.510.96.4
Nov51° / 31°1.65.11.59.72.8
Dec38° / 21°1.34.73.59.10.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104654
114654
124753
134753
144753
154753
164654
174753
184753
194654
204654
214555
224654
234654
244555
254555
264654
274654
284654
294753
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lincoln gets around 5.1 in of rain and snow over 12 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
638
738
837
937
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1737
1837
1938
2039
2139
2240
2341
2441
2542
2642
2743
2843
2943
3042
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 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
188831
287931
3861031
4841141
5831241
6811351
7801451
8791461
9771562
10751672
11751672
12731782
13731782
14711793
15701893
166918103
176719113
186619123
196320134
206121144
216121144
225822155
235623165
245524165
255324176
265125186
274925187
284826198
294626208
304426209
3143262110

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:32 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 7:15 PM to 7:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:327:15
213.85:317:17
313.85:307:18
413.85:287:19
513.95:277:20
613.95:267:21
714.05:257:22
814.05:237:23
914.05:227:24
1014.15:217:25
1114.15:207:26
1214.15:197:27
1314.25:187:28
1414.25:177:29
1514.25:167:30
1614.35:157:31
1714.35:147:32
1814.35:137:33
1914.45:127:34
2014.45:117:35
2114.45:107:36
2214.55:107:37
2314.55:097:38
2414.55:087:39
2514.55:077:39
2614.65:077:40
2714.65:067:41
2814.65:057:42
2914.65:057:43
3014.75:047:44
3114.75:047:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.02 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.86 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Lincoln

In seasonPeak

In May, Lincoln sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Lincoln's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Lincoln?

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
4.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lincoln for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lincoln in May

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

In May, Lincoln sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lincoln 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 Lincoln peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lincoln?

Lincoln sits at 40.8°N, 96.7°W, 1,204 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Papillion, 41 mi away.

Topography around Lincoln

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lincoln has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 1,234 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Lincoln is covered by trees (56%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, cropland (41%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
387 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Papillion 41 mi · La Vista 42 mi · Fremont 45 mi · Bellevue 47 mi · Omaha 49 mi · Council Bluffs 53 mi · Columbus 57 mi · Grand Island 88 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 Lincoln (40.8°, -96.667°, elevation 1,204 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).