Wheeling weather in May

In May, Wheeling sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 4.1 in of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 69°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Wheeling's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wheeling's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.1 in
12.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
4:37 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
63%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Wheeling is village in Cook County, Illinois, United States of America.

Density
1,678/km²
people per km²
Founded
1894

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 59°F in the first days to 69°F by the end.

A typical May day in Wheeling reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 11°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15845
25945
35946
46046
56047
66047
76147
86148
96248
106248
116249
126349
136349
146450
156450
166450
176551
186551
196551
206652
216652
226753
236753
246754
256854
266854
276955
286955
296956
307056
317056

How May really feels in Wheeling

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.

Wheeling 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
Jan30° / 19°2.39.16.49.30.0
Feb33° / 20°2.07.25.310.30.0
Mar42° / 29°2.69.73.211.60.6
Apr53° / 40°4.412.21.213.12.9
May64° / 51°4.112.3014.45.3
Jun76° / 62°3.611.40156.5
Jul80° / 67°3.310.8014.86.4
Aug79° / 66°3.610.7013.76.7
Sep72° / 58°2.99012.36.9
Oct60° / 46°3.39.50.110.84.8
Nov46° / 35°2.68.51.49.61.4
Dec35° / 25°2.48.84.590.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 59%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63763
73763
83961
93961
104060
114060
124159
134159
144159
154159
164357
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Wheeling gets around 4.1 in of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1140
1240
1340
1440
1539
1639
1739
1839
1938
2038
2139
2239
2339
2439
2540
2640
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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
195410
294510
393520
493520
592620
691630
791630
889740
989740
1087850
1187850
1286860
1384961
1484961
15821071
16821071
17811081
18791182
19781192
207611103
217512103
227412113
237113124
247113124
256814135
266814135
276515146
286515146
296316156
306117157
316017167

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
210light 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
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 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 4:55 AM to 4:25 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:556:43
213.84:536:44
313.94:526:45
413.94:516:46
514.04:496:48
614.04:486:49
714.04:476:50
814.14:466:51
914.14:446:52
1014.24:436:53
1114.24:426:54
1214.24:416:55
1314.34:406:56
1414.34:396:57
1514.34:386:58
1614.44:376:59
1714.44:367:00
1814.44:357:01
1914.54:347:02
2014.54:337:03
2114.54:327:04
2214.64:317:05
2314.64:307:06
2414.64:297:07
2514.74:297:08
2614.74:287:09
2714.74:277:10
2814.74:267:11
2914.84:267:12
3014.84:257:13
3114.84:257:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.82 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Wheeling?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Wheeling for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wheeling in May

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

In May, Wheeling sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Wheeling in May

The nearest coast averages about 44°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 14 to Sep 14 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May44Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul69Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct58Bracing
Nov48Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Wheeling 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 Wheeling peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Wheeling 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 Wheeling is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 921 µg/m³Oct 2410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wheeling?

Wheeling sits at 42.1°N, 87.9°W, 650 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Buffalo Grove, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Wheeling

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wheeling has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 666 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 863 ft.

The land around Wheeling is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (36%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 10 miles, and water (35%) and cropland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
374 ft
50 miles
863 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Buffalo Grove 1.9 mi · Prospect Heights 3.1 mi · Arlington Heights 4.3 mi · Deerfield 5.0 mi · Mount Prospect 5.0 mi · Northbrook 5.0 mi · Rolling Meadows 5.6 mi · Palatine 5.6 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 Wheeling (42.1392°, -87.929°, elevation 650 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).