Newark weather in May

In May, Newark sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Newark's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newark's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
13.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:20 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Newark is seat of Licking County, Ohio, USA.

Density
867/km²
people per km²
Founded
1802

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 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Newark reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16748
26749
36849
46849
56850
66950
76950
86951
96951
107051
117051
127052
137152
147152
157153
167153
177253
187253
197254
207354
217355
227355
237455
247456
257456
267556
277557
287557
297657
307658
317658

How May really feels in Newark

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.

Newark 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
Jan37° / 22°3.51169.50.0
Feb40° / 25°2.99.44.510.40.1
Mar50° / 33°4.111.62.611.72.1
Apr62° / 43°4.812.70.6134.9
May72° / 53°4.813.5014.26.0
Jun80° / 62°4.412.5014.86.0
Jul83° / 66°3.811.9014.65.5
Aug82° / 64°3.210.1013.66.3
Sep76° / 57°3.28.6012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.19.30.210.95.6
Nov51° / 36°3.39.41.19.82.4
Dec41° / 28°3.410.23.39.20.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43763
53763
63763
73961
83862
93862
103961
113961
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
204159
214159
224258
234258
244258
254357
264357
274357
284357
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Newark gets around 4.8 in of rain over 13.5 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 44% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
544
644
744
844
944
1045
1145
1245
1345
1444
1544
1644
1744
1844
1944
2044
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3042
3142

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 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18312500
28212600
38013700
47913710
57714810
67614910
775141010
874141020
973141120
1070151230
1170151230
1268151340
1366161440
1465161450
1564161550
1663161560
1761171660
1860171670
1958171780
2057171880
2155171990
22531819100
23521820100
24511820110
25501821110
26491822120
27481822120
28471723120
29471723130
30461724130
31451724131

Wind in May

Winds average 7 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
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 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 5:37 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 7:17 PM to 7:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:377:17
213.75:357:18
313.85:347:19
413.85:337:20
513.85:327:21
613.95:307:22
713.95:297:23
813.95:287:24
914.05:277:25
1014.05:267:26
1114.05:257:27
1214.15:247:28
1314.15:237:29
1414.15:227:30
1514.25:217:31
1614.25:207:32
1714.25:197:33
1814.35:187:34
1914.35:177:35
2014.35:167:36
2114.45:157:37
2214.45:147:38
2314.45:147:39
2414.45:137:39
2514.55:127:40
2614.55:127:41
2714.55:117:42
2814.55:107:43
2914.65:107:44
3014.65:097:44
3114.65:097:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Newark?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Newark for sightseeing.

What to pack for Newark in May

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

In May, Newark sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Newark 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 Newark peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Newark 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 Newark is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1117 µg/m³Oct 247 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Newark?

Newark sits at 40.1°N, 82.4°W, 833 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Pataskala, 15 mi away.

Topography around Newark

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Newark has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 423 ft around an average of 883 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,033 ft.

The land around Newark is covered by trees (47%), grassland (25%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
423 ft
10 miles
574 ft
50 miles
1,033 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Pataskala 15 mi · Zanesville 22 mi · Pickerington 22 mi · Reynoldsburg 23 mi · Mount Vernon 24 mi · Gahanna 25 mi · Lancaster 26 mi · Whitehall 26 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 Newark (40.0581°, -82.4013°, elevation 833 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).