Owensboro weather in May

In May, Owensboro sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 80°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 Owensboro's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Owensboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
12.3 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:44 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Owensboro is county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
1,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Owensboro 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 65°F and 86°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)
17254
27354
37355
47355
57455
67456
77456
87456
97557
107557
117557
127558
137658
147658
157659
167659
177759
187760
197760
207860
217861
227861
237861
247962
257962
267962
278063
288063
298063
308164
318164

How May really feels in Owensboro

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.

Owensboro 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
Jan43° / 28°3.89.82.39.70.5
Feb47° / 31°3.69.42.510.51.5
Mar57° / 39°4.711.6111.74.0
Apr68° / 49°5.111.6012.96.0
May77° / 59°4.712.30146.4
Jun84° / 68°3.811.1014.65.3
Jul87° / 71°3.510.3014.34.7
Aug86° / 69°3.08.1013.55.2
Sep80° / 61°3.57.9012.36.8
Oct69° / 49°3.78.10116.8
Nov56° / 39°3.890.6104.0
Dec46° / 32°4.410.61.99.41.3

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34258
44258
54258
64159
74159
84357
94357
104357
114357
124357
134456
144357
154258
164258
174258
184159
194159
204159
214060
224060
234258
244159
254159
264258
274258
284357
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Owensboro gets around 4.7 in of rain over 12.3 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
342
442
542
642
741
841
941
1040
1140
1240
1339
1439
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2537
2637
2737
2837
2937
3037
3137

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 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 20% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
164181530
262181640
360191650
459191750
557191860
655201870
754201880
852201990
9502119100
10492119120
11472119130
12462019140
13452019160
14451919170
15441919180
16431819190
17421719211
18421719221
19411619231
20401619241
21381619262
22371519262
23361519272
24341620283
25331620283
26311621284
27301721294
28281721294
29271822295
30251822295
31241823306

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
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 4:59 AM to 4:34 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.54:596:32
213.64:586:33
313.64:576:34
413.64:566:35
513.74:556:36
613.74:546:37
713.74:536:37
813.84:516:38
913.84:506:39
1013.84:496:40
1113.94:486:41
1213.94:476:42
1313.94:466:43
1414.04:466:44
1514.04:456:45
1614.04:446:46
1714.14:436:46
1814.14:426:47
1914.14:416:48
2014.14:416:49
2114.24:406:50
2214.24:396:51
2314.24:386:52
2414.24:386:52
2514.34:376:53
2614.34:376:54
2714.34:366:55
2814.34:356:56
2914.44:356:56
3014.44:346:57
3114.44:346:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.84 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Owensboro

In seasonPeak

None of Owensboro's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Owensboro sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Owensboro?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Owensboro for sightseeing.

What to pack for Owensboro in May

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

In May, Owensboro sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Owensboro 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 Owensboro peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 23UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Owensboro 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 Owensboro is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Nov 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Owensboro?

Owensboro sits at 37.8°N, 87.1°W, 394 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Henderson, 26 mi away.

Topography around Owensboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Owensboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 394 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft.

The land around Owensboro is covered by artificial surfaces (32%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (50%) and cropland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
269 ft
50 miles
617 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Henderson 26 mi · Evansville 28 mi · Madisonville 37 mi · Jasper 43 mi · Radcliff 64 mi · Bowling Green 65 mi · Hopkinsville 66 mi · Vincennes 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 Owensboro (37.7742°, -87.1133°, elevation 394 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).