Shelbyville weather in May

In May, Shelbyville sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 12.9 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 69°F in the first days to 77°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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Shelbyville's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelbyville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
12.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:34 AM – 7:44 PM
Cloud cover
64%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Shelbyville is city in Indiana, United States.

Density
634/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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 69°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical May day in Shelbyville reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 61°F and 84°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)
16850
26950
36951
46951
57051
67052
77052
87153
97153
107153
117153
127254
137254
147254
157355
167355
177355
187356
197456
207456
217456
227457
237557
247558
257658
267658
277659
287659
297759
307760
317760

How May really feels in Shelbyville

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.

Shelbyville 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
Jan37° / 23°3.39.54.19.50.0
Feb41° / 25°2.88.7410.40.2
Mar51° / 34°4.111.11.711.72.5
Apr64° / 45°4.712.20.4135.2
May73° / 55°4.812.9014.16.2
Jun81° / 64°4.211.6014.76.0
Jul84° / 67°3.511.4014.55.5
Aug83° / 65°2.78.8013.66.2
Sep78° / 58°2.97.6012.37.2
Oct65° / 46°3.28.9010.96.0
Nov52° / 36°3.59.20.99.82.8
Dec41° / 28°3.410.33.39.30.2

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
84060
94060
104060
113961
123961
133961
143961
153862
163862
173862
183862
193862
203961
213961
223961
234060
244060
254060
264159
274159
284258
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Shelbyville gets around 4.8 in of rain over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
441
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3140

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 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18013610
27814710
37714810
47415920
572161020
671161120
769171130
868171230
966171340
1065171440
1162181550
1261181650
1360181660
1459171770
1558171870
1656171980
1756171980
1854172090
1954162190
20521622100
21511622110
22491623110
23481723121
24461723131
25451723131
26441823141
27431823141
28421923151
29411923161
30401923161
31391923171

Wind in May

Winds average 8 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
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
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 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:51 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 7:30 PM to 7:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:517:30
213.75:507:31
313.75:497:32
413.85:477:33
513.85:467:34
613.85:457:35
713.95:447:36
813.95:437:37
913.95:417:38
1014.05:407:39
1114.05:397:40
1214.05:387:40
1314.15:377:41
1414.15:367:42
1514.15:357:43
1614.25:347:44
1714.25:337:45
1814.25:337:46
1914.35:327:47
2014.35:317:48
2114.35:307:49
2214.35:297:50
2314.45:297:51
2414.45:287:52
2514.45:277:52
2614.45:277:53
2714.55:267:54
2814.55:257:55
2914.55:257:56
3014.55:247:56
3114.65:247:57

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.73 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 Shelbyville?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Shelbyville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shelbyville in May

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

In May, Shelbyville sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Shelbyville 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 Shelbyville peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Shelbyville 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 Shelbyville 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 1317 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 Shelbyville?

Shelbyville sits at 39.5°N, 85.8°W, 764 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Franklin, 15 mi away.

Topography around Shelbyville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shelbyville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 771 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 ft.

The land around Shelbyville is covered by cropland (29%), artificial surfaces (24%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (78%) within 10 miles, and cropland (50%) and trees (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
79 ft
10 miles
279 ft
50 miles
833 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Franklin 15 mi · Greenfield 18 mi · Greenwood 19 mi · Columbus 24 mi · Lawrence 25 mi · Indianapolis 27 mi · Broad Ripple 30 mi · Fishers 32 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 Shelbyville (39.5214°, -85.7769°, elevation 764 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).