Paducah weather in May

In May, Paducah sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 4.5 in of rain across 12.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Paducah's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Paducah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.5 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
4:51 AM – 6:50 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Paducah is city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
465/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 74°F in the first days to 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Paducah reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 67°F and 87°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)
17355
27356
37456
47456
57457
67457
77557
87558
97558
107658
117659
127659
137759
147760
157760
167760
177861
187861
197861
207862
217962
227962
238063
248063
258063
268064
278164
288164
298165
308265
318265

How May really feels in Paducah

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.

Paducah weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan44° / 30°3.891.99.70.9
Feb49° / 33°3.88.81.910.61.9
Mar59° / 40°4.911.40.711.74.4
Apr69° / 50°5.311.4012.96.1
May77° / 60°4.512.40146.4
Jun86° / 69°3.611014.55.0
Jul89° / 72°3.410.3014.34.2
Aug88° / 70°2.98.9013.44.6
Sep82° / 63°3.47.9012.36.5
Oct70° / 51°3.78.20117.0
Nov57° / 41°4.18.90.4104.3
Dec47° / 33°4.29.81.49.51.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44159
54159
64159
74159
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134357
144357
154357
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214357
224357
234357
244456
254456
264555
274555
284654
294654
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Paducah gets around 4.5 in of rain over 12.4 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 40% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
243
343
442
542
641
741
841
940
1040
1139
1239
1338
1438
1537
1637
1737
1837
1938
2038
2138
2239
2339
2439
2540
2640
2740
2841
2941
3041
3141

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 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
157191950
255192060
353192170
452192180
5501922100
6481923110
7471823120
8451823130
9441824140
10431824150
11421724160
12411724180
13401724191
14391724201
15391623211
16381623221
17371623232
18361622242
19351622262
20341621273
21321621284
22301620294
23291620305
24271719315
25251719326
26231719337
27221819347
28201819358
29181820359
30171820369
311618203710

Wind in May

Winds average 6 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
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
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 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:07 AM to 4:42 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:076:37
213.55:056:38
313.65:046:39
413.65:036:39
513.65:026:40
613.75:016:41
713.75:006:42
813.74:596:43
913.84:586:44
1013.84:576:45
1113.84:566:46
1213.94:556:47
1313.94:546:47
1413.94:536:48
1514.04:526:49
1614.04:516:50
1714.04:506:51
1814.04:506:52
1914.14:496:53
2014.14:486:53
2114.14:476:54
2214.14:476:55
2314.24:466:56
2414.24:456:57
2514.24:456:57
2614.24:446:58
2714.34:446:59
2814.34:437:00
2914.34:437:00
3014.34:427:01
3114.34:427:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.87 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
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Paducah

In seasonPeak

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

Paducah 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 Paducah?

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
5.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Paducah for sightseeing.

What to pack for Paducah in May

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

In May, Paducah sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Paducah 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 Paducah peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Paducah 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 Paducah is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1419 µg/m³Nov 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Paducah?

Paducah sits at 37.1°N, 88.6°W, 341 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Murray, 36 mi away.

Topography around Paducah

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Paducah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 328 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,184 ft.

The land around Paducah is covered by trees (37%), water (24%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and cropland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (51%) and cropland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
331 ft
50 miles
1,184 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Murray 36 mi · Marion 48 mi · Cape Girardeau 53 mi · Carbondale 56 mi · Sikeston 57 mi · Madisonville 63 mi · Hopkinsville 63 mi · Henderson 76 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 Paducah (37.0834°, -88.6°, elevation 341 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).