Richmond weather in May

In May, Richmond sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 13.1 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 67°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Richmond's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richmond's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:30 AM – 7:41 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Richmond is city in Indiana, United States.

Density
575/km²
people per km²
Founded
1806

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 67°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Richmond reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 82°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)
16749
26749
36749
46850
56850
66851
76951
86951
96951
107052
117052
127052
137053
147153
157153
167154
177154
187254
197255
207255
217355
227356
237356
247456
257457
267457
277557
287558
297558
307658
317659

How May really feels in Richmond

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.

Richmond 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
Jan36° / 22°3.29.74.69.50.0
Feb39° / 24°2.68.84.310.40.1
Mar50° / 33°4.011.22.411.72.1
Apr62° / 43°4.712.50.7134.9
May71° / 54°4.613.1014.26.1
Jun80° / 63°4.011.6014.86.3
Jul83° / 66°3.311.3014.55.9
Aug82° / 64°2.99.7013.66.5
Sep76° / 57°2.87.8012.37.2
Oct64° / 45°3.08.60.210.95.8
Nov50° / 35°3.48.719.82.4
Dec40° / 27°3.39.83.59.20.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53763
63763
73763
83763
93862
103862
113862
123862
133862
143961
154060
164060
173961
183961
193961
203961
214060
223961
233961
244060
254060
264060
274060
284060
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Richmond gets around 4.6 in of rain over 13.1 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1642
1742
1842
1942
2042
2142
2241
2341
2441
2541
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3139

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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18213500
28113600
37814710
47714810
57515910
674151010
772151120
871151220
969151330
1067161430
1167161430
1265161540
1364161640
1462161750
1562161750
1660161860
1759161960
1858161970
1956162080
2055162180
2154162190
22521622100
23521622100
24491722110
25481723120
26471723120
27471723130
28461723130
29451723141
30441723151
31431723151

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
277light breeze
287light breeze
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:47 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 7:27 PM to 7:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:477:27
213.75:467:28
313.75:447:29
413.85:437:30
513.85:427:31
613.85:417:32
713.95:407:33
813.95:387:34
914.05:377:35
1014.05:367:36
1114.05:357:37
1214.15:347:38
1314.15:337:39
1414.15:327:40
1514.25:317:41
1614.25:307:41
1714.25:297:42
1814.35:287:43
1914.35:277:44
2014.35:277:45
2114.35:267:46
2214.45:257:47
2314.45:247:48
2414.45:247:49
2514.45:237:50
2614.55:227:50
2714.55:227:51
2814.55:217:52
2914.55:207:53
3014.65:207:54
3114.65:197:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Richmond?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Richmond for sightseeing.

What to pack for Richmond in May

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

In May, Richmond sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Richmond 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 Richmond peaks around June 20 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 highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Richmond 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 Richmond is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1217 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Richmond?

Richmond sits at 39.8°N, 84.9°W, 981 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oxford, 24 mi away.

Topography around Richmond

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Richmond has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft around an average of 1,004 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 853 ft.

The land around Richmond is covered by trees (48%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (58%) and trees (26%) within 10 miles, and cropland (60%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
279 ft
10 miles
492 ft
50 miles
853 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Oxford 24 mi · New Castle 26 mi · Trotwood 31 mi · Middletown 34 mi · Hamilton 34 mi · Miamisburg 35 mi · Muncie 37 mi · Vandalia 37 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 Richmond (39.8289°, -84.8902°, elevation 981 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).