Rolla weather in May

In May, Rolla sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 5.0 in of rain across 13.3 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 78°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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rolla's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rolla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.0 in
13.3 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:02 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
61%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Rolla is city in and county seat of Phelps County, Missouri, United States.

Density
641/km²
people per km²
Founded
1844

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 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Rolla reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°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 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17051
27052
37152
47153
57153
67253
77254
87254
97354
107355
117355
127355
137455
147456
157456
167456
177557
187557
197557
207658
217658
227658
237659
247759
257760
267860
277860
287861
297861
307961
317962

How May really feels in Rolla

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.

Rolla 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
Jan42° / 25°2.77.63.19.70.1
Feb46° / 28°2.57.62.610.51.4
Mar56° / 37°3.610.81.611.73.8
Apr67° / 47°4.811.80.2135.8
May74° / 56°5.013.30146.3
Jun83° / 65°3.811.3014.65.5
Jul88° / 69°3.510.7014.44.5
Aug86° / 67°2.99.5013.55.0
Sep79° / 59°3.37.9012.37.0
Oct68° / 47°3.38.70.1116.6
Nov55° / 37°3.48.20.99.93.7
Dec45° / 29°2.67.72.19.40.9

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 (%)
14159
24159
34258
44258
54258
64357
74357
84456
94456
104456
114456
124555
134555
144456
154456
164456
174357
184357
194357
204357
214258
224258
234357
244258
254258
264258
274159
284258
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rolla gets around 5.0 in of rain over 13.3 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
343
443
543
643
742
842
942
1042
1142
1242
1342
1442
1542
1643
1743
1843
1943
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3042
3142

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 16% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
167201120
264211230
363211330
461211440
560211540
658211650
756211760
854211870
954211870
1052211980
1152201990
12502020100
13492020110
14481921120
15471921130
16461821140
17451821150
18441822170
19421722180
20411723190
21391723211
22371724221
23361724231
24341724241
25321725251
26301725261
27291825271
28271825282
29261925292
30241925302
31232025312

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
17light breeze
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 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 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:18 AM to 4:52 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 7:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:186:51
213.65:176:52
313.65:156:53
413.75:146:54
513.75:136:55
613.75:126:56
713.85:116:56
813.85:106:57
913.85:096:58
1013.95:086:59
1113.95:077:00
1213.95:067:01
1314.05:057:02
1414.05:047:03
1514.05:037:04
1614.05:027:05
1714.15:017:06
1814.15:007:06
1914.15:007:07
2014.24:597:08
2114.24:587:09
2214.24:577:10
2314.24:577:11
2414.34:567:11
2514.34:557:12
2614.34:557:13
2714.34:547:14
2814.44:547:15
2914.44:537:15
3014.44:537:16
3114.44:527:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rolla?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Rolla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rolla in May

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

In May, Rolla sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 56°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Rolla 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 Rolla peaks around June 22 at about 10 (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 22UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Rolla 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 Rolla is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Nov 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May12Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rolla?

Rolla sits at 38.0°N, 91.8°W, 1,122 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fort Leonard Wood, 27 mi away.

Topography around Rolla

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rolla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 308 ft around an average of 1,073 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 633 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,060 ft.

The land around Rolla is covered by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (66%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (73%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
308 ft
10 miles
633 ft
50 miles
1,060 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Fort Leonard Wood 27 mi · Jefferson City 48 mi · Wildwood 75 mi · Farmington 75 mi · Columbia 76 mi · Wentzville 78 mi · Ballwin 80 mi · Chesterfield 81 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 Rolla (37.9514°, -91.7713°, elevation 1,122 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).