Urbana weather in May

In May, Urbana sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 13.2 wet days and about 14.2 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 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Urbana's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Urbana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
13.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:43 AM – 6:55 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Urbana is town in and county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,410/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 Urbana reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 10°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16849
26949
36950
46950
57051
67051
77151
87152
97152
107153
117253
127253
137253
147354
157354
167354
177355
187455
197455
207456
217456
227556
237557
247557
257657
267658
277658
287758
297759
307759
317859

How May really feels in Urbana

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.

Urbana 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
Jan35° / 21°2.78.64.49.50.0
Feb40° / 24°2.37.43.810.40.2
Mar51° / 33°3.310.31.611.72.5
Apr64° / 44°4.511.80.3135.2
May73° / 54°4.713.2014.26.2
Jun81° / 64°4.111.4014.86.0
Jul84° / 67°3.610.4014.65.6
Aug83° / 65°2.98.7013.66.2
Sep78° / 57°3.07.3012.37.3
Oct65° / 46°3.38.50.110.96.1
Nov51° / 35°3.38.70.89.82.7
Dec40° / 26°2.58.93.19.20.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44060
53961
63961
73961
83961
93961
103862
113961
124060
133961
144060
154060
164060
173961
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
234159
244060
254159
264159
274159
284258
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Urbana gets around 4.7 in of rain over 13.2 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 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
344
444
543
643
743
842
942
1042
1141
1241
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2543
2643
2743
2843
2942
3042
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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
18014510
27915510
37616620
47516720
57317730
67118830
77018840
86819940
96719950
1066191050
1164191160
1263201160
1361201270
1461201270
1560201370
1658201480
1758201480
1857191590
1956191690
20541917100
21541817110
22531818110
23511819120
24491819131
25481820131
26471820141
27461820141
28451821151
29441821161
30431821161
31421821172

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light 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
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 42 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 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:00 AM to 4:32 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:006:40
213.74:586:41
313.84:576:42
413.84:566:43
513.84:556:44
613.94:536:45
713.94:526:47
813.94:516:48
914.04:506:49
1014.04:496:50
1114.04:486:51
1214.14:476:52
1314.14:466:53
1414.14:456:53
1514.24:446:54
1614.24:436:55
1714.24:426:56
1814.34:416:57
1914.34:406:58
2014.34:396:59
2114.44:387:00
2214.44:387:01
2314.44:377:02
2414.44:367:03
2514.54:357:04
2614.54:357:05
2714.54:347:05
2814.54:337:06
2914.64:337:07
3014.64:327:08
3114.64:327:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.77 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
105.6Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.9Bright
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 Urbana?

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
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Urbana for sightseeing.

What to pack for Urbana in May

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

In May, Urbana sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Urbana 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 Urbana peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 23UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Urbana 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 Urbana 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 1616 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Urbana?

Urbana sits at 40.1°N, 88.2°W, 728 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Champaign, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Urbana

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Urbana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 735 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 ft.

The land around Urbana is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, cropland (80%) within 10 miles, and cropland (85%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
203 ft
50 miles
495 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Champaign 1.9 mi · Danville 30 mi · Charleston 42 mi · Decatur 43 mi · Mattoon 44 mi · Bloomington 49 mi · Normal 50 mi · Terre Haute 62 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 Urbana (40.1106°, -88.2073°, elevation 728 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).