Richmond weather in May

In May, Richmond sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 4.6 in of rain across 13.2 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 Richmond's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richmond's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.6 in
13.2 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:33 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Richmond is city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
559/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 71°F in the first days to 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Richmond reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 85°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)
17152
27153
37153
47253
57254
67254
77354
87355
97355
107355
117456
127456
137456
147456
157457
167557
177557
187558
197658
207658
217658
227759
237759
247759
257860
267860
277860
287861
297961
307961
317962

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 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°3.710.339.70.5
Feb47° / 31°3.810.52.710.51.5
Mar56° / 38°4.512.31.611.73.7
Apr67° / 48°4.611.90.212.95.8
May75° / 57°4.613.20146.2
Jun83° / 65°4.213014.65.5
Jul86° / 69°4.212.9014.34.8
Aug85° / 67°3.110.4013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.68.2012.36.9
Oct68° / 48°3.28.50.1116.6
Nov56° / 39°3.58.80.5103.8
Dec47° / 32°4.2112.19.41.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34357
44258
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114357
124357
134258
144258
154357
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214258
224258
234456
244456
254357
264555
274555
284654
294654
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Richmond gets around 4.6 in of rain over 13.2 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 rain averages around 43% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
544
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1244
1344
1444
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2142
2242
2342
2441
2541
2641
2741
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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
168181310
265191510
363191620
461201720
559201830
657201940
755202050
853202160
952202260
1050202280
1148202390
12472023100
13461923110
14451924120
15451824130
16441824140
17441724150
18431724160
19421624170
20411624180
21401624201
22381624201
23371624211
24361724221
25341724231
26331824231
27311924242
28302024252
29282024252
30272124262
31252124272

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
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
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 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 5:48 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 7:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:487:21
213.65:477:22
313.65:467:22
413.65:457:23
513.75:447:24
613.75:427:25
713.75:417:26
813.85:407:27
913.85:397:28
1013.85:387:29
1113.95:377:30
1213.95:367:31
1313.95:357:32
1414.05:347:33
1514.05:337:33
1614.05:337:34
1714.15:327:35
1814.15:317:36
1914.15:307:37
2014.15:297:38
2114.25:297:39
2214.25:287:39
2314.25:277:40
2414.25:277:41
2514.35:267:42
2614.35:257:43
2714.35:257:43
2814.35:247:44
2914.45:247:45
3014.45:237:46
3114.45:237:46

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
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).

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.2
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 75°F and nights near 57°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain 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 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
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

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 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Richmond?

Richmond sits at 37.7°N, 84.3°W, 948 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Nicholasville, 18 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 217 ft around an average of 935 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 607 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,240 ft.

The land around Richmond is covered by grassland (40%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, grassland (59%) and trees (36%) within 10 miles, and trees (57%) and grassland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
217 ft
10 miles
607 ft
50 miles
1,240 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Nicholasville 18 mi · Winchester 18 mi · Lexington 19 mi · Lexington-Fayette 23 mi · Danville 27 mi · Georgetown 35 mi · Frankfort 44 mi · Shelbyville 60 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 (37.7479°, -84.2947°, elevation 948 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).