Madisonville weather in May

In May, Madisonville sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 4.4 in of rain across 12.8 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Madisonville's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madisonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.4 in
12.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:46 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Madisonville is county seat in Kentucky, United States.

Density
402/km²
people per km²
Founded
1807

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 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Madisonville reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 66°F and 87°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)
17354
27355
37355
47455
57456
67456
77556
87557
97557
107658
117658
127658
137658
147759
157759
167759
177860
187860
197860
207861
217961
227961
237962
248062
258062
268063
278163
288163
298164
308264
318264

How May really feels in Madisonville

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.

Madisonville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan44° / 29°3.69.429.70.8
Feb49° / 32°3.79.52.310.61.9
Mar58° / 40°4.611.60.811.74.2
Apr69° / 49°4.911.60.112.96.1
May77° / 59°4.412.80146.3
Jun86° / 68°3.711.4014.54.9
Jul89° / 71°3.710.8014.34.2
Aug88° / 69°3.19.1013.44.7
Sep82° / 61°3.78012.36.5
Oct70° / 50°3.58.10.1117.0
Nov57° / 40°3.69.10.6104.2
Dec47° / 33°4.210.31.59.51.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34258
44357
54357
64258
74357
84258
94258
104357
114456
124357
134357
144357
154357
164258
174357
184258
194357
204258
214357
224258
234258
244456
254357
264357
274456
284456
294555
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Madisonville gets around 4.4 in of rain over 12.8 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 41% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
344
444
544
643
743
843
942
1042
1141
1241
1340
1440
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

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 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
161181740
260181840
358181950
456182060
553192170
652192180
750192290
8491922100
9481922110
10471922120
11451922130
12441922150
13431822160
14431822170
15421721191
16411721201
17411621221
18401620231
19391520241
20381519262
21371519272
22361519283
23341519293
24331519304
25311519304
26301619315
27281620315
28261721315
29251721316
30231722326
31221722327

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
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
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 30 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 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:02 AM to 4:37 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:026:33
213.65:016:34
313.64:596:35
413.64:586:35
513.74:576:36
613.74:566:37
713.74:556:38
813.84:546:39
913.84:536:40
1013.84:526:41
1113.84:516:42
1213.94:506:43
1313.94:496:44
1413.94:486:44
1514.04:476:45
1614.04:466:46
1714.04:456:47
1814.14:456:48
1914.14:446:49
2014.14:436:50
2114.14:426:50
2214.24:426:51
2314.24:416:52
2414.24:406:53
2514.24:406:54
2614.34:396:54
2714.34:396:55
2814.34:386:56
2914.34:386:57
3014.34:376:57
3114.44:376:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Madisonville?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Madisonville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Madisonville in May

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

In May, Madisonville sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Madisonville 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 Madisonville 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 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Madisonville 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 Madisonville is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1420 µg/m³Nov 139 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madisonville?

Madisonville sits at 37.3°N, 87.5°W, 472 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hopkinsville, 32 mi away.

Topography around Madisonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madisonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft around an average of 456 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 469 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,001 ft.

The land around Madisonville is covered by trees (46%) and grassland (28%) within 2 miles, trees (54%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (48%) and cropland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
469 ft
50 miles
1,001 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hopkinsville 32 mi · Henderson 35 mi · Owensboro 37 mi · Evansville 45 mi · Clarksville 56 mi · Bowling Green 63 mi · Paducah 63 mi · Springfield 66 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 Madisonville (37.3281°, -87.4989°, elevation 472 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).