Norfolk weather in May

In May, Norfolk sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 5.0 in of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Norfolk's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Norfolk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
50°
8th coldest
Precipitation
5.0 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:15 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
59%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Norfolk is city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
786/km²
people per km²
Founded
1866

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 65°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Norfolk reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16544
26544
36544
46645
56645
66746
76746
86747
96847
106847
116948
126948
136949
147049
157049
167150
177150
187151
197151
207251
217252
227252
237353
247353
257353
267454
277454
287455
297555
307555
317656

How May really feels in Norfolk

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.

Norfolk 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
Jan32° / 14°0.84.23.79.30.0
Feb36° / 17°0.954.310.30.0
Mar48° / 27°2.07.33.611.71.8
Apr60° / 38°3.610.31.913.14.6
May70° / 50°5.012.40.114.36.2
Jun81° / 61°4.411.30156.2
Jul85° / 65°2.88.6014.75.6
Aug83° / 62°3.29013.76.3
Sep76° / 53°2.67.2012.37.4
Oct62° / 40°2.57.40.810.95.8
Nov47° / 27°1.44.62.49.61.8
Dec35° / 17°1.14.53.990.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94654
104654
114654
124654
134654
144555
154555
164654
174654
184654
194555
204654
214654
224654
234555
244555
254555
264654
274753
284753
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Norfolk gets around 5.0 in of rain and snow over 12.4 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 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
740
839
939
1038
1137
1237
1337
1436
1536
1637
1737
1838
1938
2039
2140
2240
2341
2442
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193610
293610
391720
490820
590820
689920
7871030
8861130
9841240
10841240
11821341
12801451
13801451
14781561
15781561
16761671
17761671
18741781
19731791
20721891
217019101
227019101
236820111
246720112
256521122
266521122
276322132
286222142
295923153
305823163
315624164

Wind in May

Winds average 10 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light 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
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 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 5:33 AM to 5:03 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 7:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:337:21
213.85:327:22
313.95:307:23
413.95:297:24
514.05:287:25
614.05:267:26
714.05:257:27
814.15:247:29
914.15:237:30
1014.25:217:31
1114.25:207:32
1214.25:197:33
1314.35:187:34
1414.35:177:35
1514.35:167:36
1614.45:157:37
1714.45:147:38
1814.45:137:39
1914.55:127:40
2014.55:117:41
2114.55:107:42
2214.65:097:43
2314.65:087:44
2414.65:087:45
2514.75:077:46
2614.75:067:47
2714.75:057:48
2814.75:057:49
2914.85:047:49
3014.85:047:50
3114.85:037:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.85 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
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Norfolk

In seasonPeak

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

Norfolk'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 Norfolk?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Norfolk for sightseeing.

What to pack for Norfolk in May

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

In May, Norfolk sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Norfolk 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 Norfolk peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 23UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Norfolk?

Norfolk sits at 42.0°N, 97.4°W, 1,522 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Columbus, 42 mi away.

Topography around Norfolk

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Norfolk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 1,535 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,053 ft.

The land around Norfolk is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and grassland (33%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
404 ft
50 miles
1,053 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Columbus 42 mi · Sioux City 62 mi · Fremont 63 mi · Grand Island 90 mi · La Vista 93 mi · Omaha 93 mi · Papillion 93 mi · Lincoln 93 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 Norfolk (42.0283°, -97.417°, elevation 1,522 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).