North Platte weather in May

In May, North Platte sees average daytime highs of 70°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 11.2 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 33% 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 North Platte's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see North Platte's year-round climate.

Daytime high
70°
5th warmest
Overnight low
47°
8th coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:30 AM – 7:48 PM
Cloud cover
57%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

North Platte is city in Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
698/km²
people per km²

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 North Platte reaches about 70°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16441
26542
36542
46542
56643
66643
76744
86744
96845
106845
116846
126946
136946
146947
157047
167047
177148
187148
197149
207149
217249
227250
237250
247351
257351
267351
277452
287452
297553
307553
317553

How May really feels in North Platte

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.

North Platte 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° / 17°0.53.12.89.40.0
Feb42° / 20°0.74.13.510.40.3
Mar52° / 28°1.46.13.211.73.0
Apr60° / 36°3.18.92.413.15.0
May70° / 47°3.811.20.214.36.4
Jun81° / 58°3.510.8014.96.2
Jul87° / 64°2.69.9014.75.1
Aug84° / 61°2.89.1013.65.9
Sep77° / 52°1.85.80.112.37.7
Oct63° / 38°1.86.11.110.96.3
Nov50° / 27°0.94.32.59.72.6
Dec40° / 19°0.73.22.99.10.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
55149
65149
75248
85248
95248
105347
115248
125248
135248
145248
155149
165050
175050
185050
194951
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
265050
275149
285149
295347
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

North Platte gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1343
2343
3343
4343
5332
6332
7332
8321
9321
10321
11321
12321
13321
14331
15331
16341
17351
18361
19371
20381
21391
22390
23400
24410
25410
26420
27420
28420
29420
30420
31410

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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19811
29721
39721
49721
59721
69631
79631
89631
99541
109451
119451
129361
139271
149181
159082
168992
1788102
1887112
1986122
2084133
2183143
2282153
2380164
2479174
2577185
2676195
2774206
2873216
2971227
3069238
3168248

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
311light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light 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 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 5:48 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 7:32 PM to 8:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:487:32
213.85:477:34
313.85:457:35
413.95:447:36
513.95:437:37
613.95:427:38
714.05:407:39
814.05:397:40
914.15:387:41
1014.15:377:42
1114.15:367:43
1214.25:357:44
1314.25:347:45
1414.25:327:46
1514.35:317:47
1614.35:307:48
1714.35:297:49
1814.45:297:50
1914.45:287:51
2014.45:277:52
2114.55:267:53
2214.55:257:54
2314.55:247:55
2414.55:247:56
2514.65:237:57
2614.65:227:58
2714.65:217:58
2814.65:217:59
2914.75:208:00
3014.75:208:01
3114.75:198:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.2 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for North Platte

In seasonPeak

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

North Platte'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 North Platte?

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
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit North Platte for sightseeing.

What to pack for North Platte in May

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

In May, North Platte sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 47°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

UV index in North Platte 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 North Platte peaks around July 13 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 highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 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 North Platte?

North Platte sits at 41.1°N, 100.8°W, 2,802 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kearney, 93 mi away.

Topography around North Platte

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around North Platte has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 2,805 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,391 ft.

The land around North Platte is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and grassland (29%) within 2 miles, grassland (66%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (71%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
69 ft
10 miles
453 ft
50 miles
1,391 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kearney 93 mi · Grand Island 127 mi · Hastings 130 mi · Hays 173 mi · Columbus 178 mi · Norfolk 184 mi · Cheyenne 211 mi · Evans 212 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 North Platte (41.1239°, -100.7654°, elevation 2,802 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).