Carbondale weather in May: Carbondale, Illinois: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Carbondale in May has a normal high of 77°F and a normal low of 55°F, a daily mean of 66°F, rising from 73°F on the 1st to 82°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 14 days in a normal May, 4.98 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 25°C and low of 13°C, 126 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationCarbondale Southern Illinois Airport
- Station IDUSW00093810
- Location37.78°N 89.25°W
- Elevation406 ft (124 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population22,223
- Jan 42° 25°
- Feb 47° 28°
- Mar 57° 36°
- Apr 68° 45°
- May 77° 55°
- Jun 86° 64°
- Jul 88° 68°
- Aug 87° 65°
- Sep 81° 56°
- Oct 70° 45°
- Nov 56° 35°
- Dec 46° 28°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Carbondale in May?
The normal high is 77°F and the normal low 55°F, for a daily mean of 66.2°F. May is 9.5°F warmer than April and 8.7°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Carbondale and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 9°F, from 73°F on May 1 to 82°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.8°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 63°F and 69°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 45%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 73°F | 50°F | 44% | 28% |
| May 8 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 28% |
| May 15 | 77°F | 55°F | 45% | 27% |
| May 22 | 79°F | 57°F | 43% | 25% |
| May 31 | 82°F | 60°F | 41% | 24% |
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 73°F | 50°F | 44% | 28% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 73°F | 51°F | 44% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 3 | 73°F | 51°F | 44% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 4 | 74°F | 51°F | 44% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 74°F | 52°F | 45% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 74°F | 52°F | 45% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 74°F | 52°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 8 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 9 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 75°F | 53°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 75°F | 54°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 76°F | 54°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 13 | 76°F | 54°F | 45% | 28% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 14 | 76°F | 55°F | 45% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 15 | 77°F | 55°F | 45% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 77°F | 55°F | 45% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 77°F | 56°F | 45% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 78°F | 56°F | 44% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 19 | 78°F | 56°F | 44% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 20 | 78°F | 57°F | 44% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 21 | 78°F | 57°F | 44% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 79°F | 57°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 79°F | 58°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 79°F | 58°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 25 | 80°F | 58°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 26 | 80°F | 59°F | 43% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 27 | 80°F | 59°F | 42% | 24% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 28 | 81°F | 59°F | 42% | 24% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 29 | 81°F | 60°F | 42% | 24% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 81°F | 60°F | 42% | 24% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 31 | 82°F | 60°F | 41% | 24% | 14 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 77°FMay average
- Normal low
- 55°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 4.98 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 140.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 30 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 25
- Days at 80°F or more
- 14
- Sunshine
- 75%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093810; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Carbondale in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 44% on average, highest around May 8 (45%). In all, 4.98 in falls on 14 days of a normal May, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Carbondale, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093810.
What are the records for May in Carbondale?
The warmest May temperature on Carbondale's official record (since 1898) is 101°F, on May 28, 1911; the coldest is 29°F, on May 1, 1903. The wettest May brought 12.59 in (1957).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 66.2°F: 2021 63.9°F (−2.3), 2022 68.3°F (+2.1), 2023 67.6°F (+1.4), 2024 70.5°F (+4.3), 2025 65.5°F (−0.7), 2026 66.0°F (−0.2). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63.9°F | −2.3°F | 3.58 in |
| 2022 | 68.3°F | +2.1°F | 5.08 in |
| 2023 | 67.6°F | +1.4°F | 2.58 in |
| 2024 | 70.5°F | +4.3°F | 5.57 in |
| 2025 | 65.5°F | −0.7°F | 4.87 in |
| 2026 | 66.0°F | −0.2°F | 2.37 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record MDHthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093810. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Carbondale compare across Illinois?
Across the 144 places PlainClimate covers in Illinois, May normal highs run from 67°F in Waukegan to 79°F in Belleville; Carbondale's is 77°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.