Topeka weather in May

In May, Topeka sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 5.7 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 70°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Topeka's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Topeka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.7 in
12.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:15 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
58%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Topeka is capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and seat of Shawnee County.

Density
791/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Topeka reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 86°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)
16950
27051
37051
47151
57152
67152
77253
87253
97353
107354
117354
127354
137455
147455
157455
167556
177556
187557
197657
207657
217658
227758
237758
247759
257859
267860
277860
287960
297961
307961
318061

How May really feels in Topeka

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.

Topeka 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
Jan39° / 22°1.15.22.99.60.0
Feb44° / 25°1.65.62.810.50.9
Mar55° / 35°2.98.31.811.73.8
Apr65° / 45°4.3110.4135.8
May75° / 56°5.712.9014.16.3
Jun84° / 66°4.911.5014.75.4
Jul89° / 70°3.69.7014.54.4
Aug87° / 67°4.09.3013.55.0
Sep79° / 59°3.47.6012.37.1
Oct67° / 47°3.17.80.2116.8
Nov54° / 35°2.15.619.93.7
Dec43° / 25°1.64.72.39.30.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44456
54555
64555
74654
84654
94555
104753
114753
124753
134852
144852
154753
164852
174753
184852
194852
204753
214753
224753
234654
244753
254753
264753
274852
284852
294852
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Topeka gets around 5.7 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
342
442
542
642
741
841
941
1041
1140
1240
1340
1440
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2042
2142
2242
2342
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 10% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17614820
27515820
37316920
469181030
568181130
666191140
764201240
863201340
960211450
1059211550
1158211650
1256211760
1356211760
1454211870
1552211980
1652202080
1751202090
18492021100
19471922110
20461923120
21441924130
22421924140
23411925150
24391925160
25372026170
26352026180
27342026190
28322126211
29312126221
30292126231
31282125241

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
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 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 5:31 AM to 5:05 AM, and sunset from 7:08 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:317:08
213.75:307:09
313.75:297:10
413.75:287:11
513.85:277:12
613.85:257:13
713.85:247:14
813.95:237:15
913.95:227:16
1013.95:217:17
1114.05:207:18
1214.05:197:19
1314.05:187:20
1414.15:177:21
1514.15:167:22
1614.15:157:23
1714.25:147:24
1814.25:137:25
1914.25:137:26
2014.25:127:26
2114.35:117:27
2214.35:107:28
2314.35:097:29
2414.45:097:30
2514.45:087:31
2614.45:077:32
2714.45:077:32
2814.45:067:33
2914.55:067:34
3014.55:057:35
3114.55:057:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Topeka?

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 Topeka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Topeka in May

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

In May, Topeka sees daytime highs around 75°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 Topeka 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 Topeka peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Topeka 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 Topeka is worst in April — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1526 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Topeka?

Topeka sits at 39.0°N, 95.7°W, 945 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lawrence, 24 mi away.

Topography around Topeka

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Topeka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft around an average of 922 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 876 ft.

The land around Topeka is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, trees (36%), grassland (35%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (48%), cropland (29%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
377 ft
50 miles
876 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Lawrence 24 mi · Gardner 43 mi · Leavenworth 44 mi · Olathe 48 mi · Manhattan 49 mi · Lenexa 51 mi · Shawnee 52 mi · Emporia 52 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 Topeka (39.0483°, -95.678°, elevation 945 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).