Salina weather in May

In May, Salina sees average daytime highs of 76°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 5.3 in of rain across 11.5 wet days and about 14.1 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 80°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Salina's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salina's year-round climate.

Daytime high
76°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.3 in
11.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:23 AM – 7:30 PM
Cloud cover
56%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Salina is city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States.

Density
728/km²
people per km²
Founded
1858

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 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Salina reaches about 76°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 10°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17049
27150
37150
47151
57251
67252
77352
87353
97353
107453
117454
127554
137555
147555
157655
167656
177656
187756
197757
207757
217858
227858
237858
247959
257959
267959
278060
288060
298060
308161
318161

How May really feels in Salina

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.

Salina 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
Jan41° / 23°0.94.32.89.60.2
Feb46° / 26°1.34.82.510.51.4
Mar56° / 35°2.37.41.511.74.2
Apr66° / 45°3.39.70.5136.2
May76° / 56°5.311.5014.16.6
Jun86° / 66°4.110.2014.75.0
Jul91° / 71°3.69.3014.43.8
Aug89° / 68°3.49.1013.54.5
Sep81° / 59°2.77012.36.9
Oct68° / 47°2.570.2117.1
Nov55° / 35°1.64.90.99.94.0
Dec43° / 25°1.34.62.59.30.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
45050
55149
65149
75248
85347
95446
105446
115446
125446
135446
145446
155347
165347
175248
185248
195149
205050
214951
224951
234852
244951
254951
264951
274951
285050
295050
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Salina gets around 5.3 in of rain over 11.5 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
238
338
438
538
638
738
837
937
1037
1137
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1937
2037
2137
2237
2337
2438
2538
2638
2739
2839
2939
3038
3138

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 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17915510
27716610
37617610
47418710
57119820
67019920
768201020
867201120
964211230
1063211330
1162211430
1261211530
1359211640
1457221740
1557211840
1655211950
1753212150
1851212260
1949212360
2048212470
2146212680
2244212780
2342212890
24412128100
25392229100
26372229110
27362230120
28342330130
29332330141
30312330151
31302330161

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 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 5:40 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:407:16
213.65:387:17
313.75:377:18
413.75:367:19
513.75:357:20
613.85:347:21
713.85:327:22
813.95:317:23
913.95:307:23
1013.95:297:24
1114.05:287:25
1214.05:277:26
1314.05:267:27
1414.15:257:28
1514.15:247:29
1614.15:237:30
1714.15:227:31
1814.25:227:32
1914.25:217:33
2014.25:207:34
2114.35:197:35
2214.35:187:35
2314.35:187:36
2414.35:177:37
2514.45:167:38
2614.45:167:39
2714.45:157:40
2814.45:157:40
2914.55:147:41
3014.55:147:42
3114.55:137:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.04 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.8 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 6.04 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Salina

In seasonPeak

In May, Salina sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Salina's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Salina?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Salina for sightseeing.

What to pack for Salina in May

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

In May, Salina sees daytime highs around 76°F and nights near 56°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Salina in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Salina peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Salina?

Salina sits at 38.8°N, 97.6°W, 1,224 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Junction City, 44 mi away.

Topography around Salina

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Salina has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 1,230 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 922 ft.

The land around Salina is covered by artificial surfaces (39%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (51%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and cropland (50%) and grassland (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
318 ft
50 miles
922 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Junction City 44 mi · Hutchinson 57 mi · Newton 57 mi · Manhattan 61 mi · Great Bend 70 mi · Wichita 81 mi · Emporia 83 mi · Derby 91 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 Salina (38.8403°, -97.6114°, elevation 1,224 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).