Manhattan weather in May

In May, Manhattan sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 5.2 in of rain across 12 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 79°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 Manhattan's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Manhattan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.2 in
12 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:18 AM – 7:27 PM
Cloud cover
58%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Manhattan is city in Riley and Pottawatomie counties in Kansas, United States, county seat of Riley County.

Density
1,124/km²
people per km²
Founded
1855

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 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Manhattan reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 87°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)
17049
27050
37050
47151
57151
67251
77252
87252
97353
107353
117453
127454
137454
147455
157555
167555
177656
187656
197656
207657
217757
227758
237758
247858
257859
267859
277959
287960
297960
308060
318061

How May really feels in Manhattan

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.

Manhattan 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° / 21°0.94.52.89.60.0
Feb44° / 24°1.45.32.810.50.8
Mar55° / 34°2.48.11.711.73.8
Apr66° / 44°3.69.80.5136.0
May75° / 55°5.212014.16.5
Jun85° / 66°4.110.2014.75.3
Jul90° / 70°3.79.5014.54.2
Aug87° / 67°3.79.2013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.17.3012.37.0
Oct68° / 46°2.57.30.2116.9
Nov54° / 34°1.85.319.93.7
Dec42° / 24°1.44.72.19.30.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44852
54852
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
114951
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
174852
184951
194852
204753
214753
224753
234753
244753
254753
264753
274753
284753
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Manhattan gets around 5.2 in of rain 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 rain averages around 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
240
340
440
540
640
739
839
939
1038
1138
1238
1337
1437
1537
1637
1737
1837
1937
2038
2138
2238
2339
2439
2540
2640
2741
2841
2941
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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18013520
27814620
37615720
47516720
57316830
67117930
769181030
867191130
965191240
1063201340
1163201340
1261211440
1359211550
1459211550
1557211660
1656211760
1755211770
1852211980
1951212080
2050212190
2148212290
22462123100
23442124110
24432124120
25412125120
26392226130
27382226140
28362227151
29342227161
30332228171
31322228181

Wind in May

Winds average 9 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
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light 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 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 5:35 AM to 5:08 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:357:12
213.75:347:13
313.75:327:14
413.75:317:15
513.85:307:16
613.85:297:17
713.85:287:18
813.95:267:19
913.95:257:20
1013.95:247:21
1114.05:237:22
1214.05:227:23
1314.05:217:24
1414.15:207:25
1514.15:197:26
1614.15:187:27
1714.25:177:28
1814.25:177:29
1914.25:167:29
2014.35:157:30
2114.35:147:31
2214.35:137:32
2314.35:137:33
2414.45:127:34
2514.45:117:35
2614.45:117:35
2714.45:107:36
2814.55:107:37
2914.55:097:38
3014.55:087:39
3114.55:087:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

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
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Manhattan?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Manhattan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Manhattan in May

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

In May, Manhattan sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Manhattan 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 Manhattan peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Manhattan 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 Manhattan is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1530 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Manhattan?

Manhattan sits at 39.2°N, 96.6°W, 1,020 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Junction City, 17 mi away.

Topography around Manhattan

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Manhattan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft around an average of 1,053 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft.

The land around Manhattan is covered by trees (35%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 2 miles, grassland (54%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
266 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
751 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Junction City 17 mi · Topeka 49 mi · Emporia 58 mi · Salina 61 mi · Lawrence 73 mi · Leavenworth 89 mi · Newton 89 mi · Gardner 92 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 Manhattan (39.1836°, -96.5717°, elevation 1,020 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).