Terre Haute weather in May

In May, Terre Haute sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 56°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 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 78°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 Terre Haute's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Terre Haute's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
12.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:41 AM – 7:51 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Terre Haute is city and county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States.

Density
666/km²
people per km²
Founded
1811

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 70°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Terre Haute 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 62°F and 85°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)
16951
26951
37052
47052
57152
67153
77153
87253
97254
107254
117355
127355
137355
147355
157456
167456
177456
187457
197557
207557
217558
227658
237658
247659
257759
267759
277760
287860
297860
307861
317861

How May really feels in Terre Haute

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.

Terre Haute 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
Jan37° / 23°3.29.23.79.50.0
Feb42° / 26°2.68.33.210.40.3
Mar52° / 35°3.710.71.711.72.8
Apr64° / 45°4.912.40.1135.3
May74° / 56°4.812.9014.16.3
Jun82° / 65°4.311.7014.75.7
Jul85° / 68°3.811014.55.2
Aug83° / 66°3.08.4013.56.0
Sep78° / 58°2.97.1012.37.3
Oct66° / 47°3.38.20.1116.2
Nov52° / 36°3.78.70.79.82.8
Dec41° / 28°2.99.32.79.30.2

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 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23961
33961
43961
54060
64060
74060
84060
94060
104060
113961
124060
134060
144060
153961
164060
174060
183961
193961
203961
213862
223862
233862
243961
253961
263961
273961
284060
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Terre Haute gets around 4.8 in of rain over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
542
642
742
842
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17713910
27614910
373151020
471161120
569161230
668171230
766171340
864181440
963181450
1061181560
1161181560
1259191570
1358181680
1457181690
1556181790
16551817100
17531818110
18531818110
19521719120
20501719131
21491720141
22471720141
23461820151
24441821161
25431821161
26421821171
27411922172
28401922182
29391922182
30381922192
31371923192

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light 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
197light breeze
207light breeze
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:58 AM to 5:31 AM, and sunset from 7:36 PM to 8:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:587:36
213.75:567:37
313.75:557:38
413.85:547:39
513.85:537:40
613.85:527:41
713.95:507:42
813.95:497:43
913.95:487:44
1014.05:477:45
1114.05:467:46
1214.05:457:47
1314.15:447:48
1414.15:437:49
1514.15:427:50
1614.25:417:51
1714.25:407:52
1814.25:397:53
1914.35:387:53
2014.35:387:54
2114.35:377:55
2214.35:367:56
2314.45:357:57
2414.45:357:58
2514.45:347:59
2614.45:338:00
2714.55:338:00
2814.55:328:01
2914.55:328:02
3014.55:318:03
3114.65:318:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.76 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
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Terre Haute?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Terre Haute for sightseeing.

What to pack for Terre Haute in May

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

In May, Terre Haute 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 Terre Haute 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 Terre Haute peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateJul 11UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Terre Haute 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 Terre Haute is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Terre Haute?

Terre Haute sits at 39.5°N, 87.4°W, 499 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Charleston, 41 mi away.

Topography around Terre Haute

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Terre Haute has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 486 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 646 ft.

The land around Terre Haute is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, trees (46%) and cropland (34%) within 10 miles, and cropland (59%) and trees (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
289 ft
50 miles
646 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Charleston 41 mi · Danville 47 mi · Crawfordsville 49 mi · Mattoon 51 mi · Bloomington 52 mi · Vincennes 55 mi · Plainfield 57 mi · Avon 58 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 Terre Haute (39.4667°, -87.4139°, elevation 499 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).