Louisville weather in May: Louisville, Kentucky: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Louisville in May has a normal high of 78°F and a normal low of 59°F, a daily mean of 68°F, rising from 74°F on the 1st to 82°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 13 days in a normal May, 5.18 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 25°C and low of 15°C, 132 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationLouisville International Airport
- Station IDUSW00093821
- Location38.18°N 85.74°W
- Elevation488 ft (149 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population640,796
- Jan 44° 28°
- Feb 48° 31°
- Mar 58° 39°
- Apr 70° 49°
- May 78° 59°
- Jun 86° 67°
- Jul 89° 71°
- Aug 88° 70°
- Sep 82° 62°
- Oct 71° 50°
- Nov 58° 39°
- Dec 47° 32°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Louisville in May?
The normal high is 78°F and the normal low 59°F, for a daily mean of 68.3°F. May is 9.3°F warmer than April and 8.1°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Louisville and the wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 8°F, from 74°F on May 1 to 82°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 65°F and 72°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 42%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 74°F | 54°F | 42% | 28% |
| May 8 | 76°F | 56°F | 42% | 28% |
| May 15 | 78°F | 58°F | 41% | 27% |
| May 22 | 79°F | 61°F | 39% | 25% |
| May 31 | 82°F | 63°F | 37% | 25% |
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 | 74°F | 54°F | 42% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 2 | 74°F | 54°F | 42% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 3 | 75°F | 55°F | 42% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 4 | 75°F | 55°F | 42% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 5 | 75°F | 55°F | 42% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 75°F | 56°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 7 | 76°F | 56°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 8 | 76°F | 56°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 9 | 76°F | 57°F | 42% | 27% | 14 h |
| May 10 | 76°F | 57°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h |
| May 11 | 77°F | 57°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 12 | 77°F | 58°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 13 | 77°F | 58°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 14 | 77°F | 58°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 15 | 78°F | 58°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 16 | 78°F | 59°F | 41% | 27% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 17 | 78°F | 59°F | 40% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 18 | 78°F | 59°F | 40% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 19 | 78°F | 60°F | 40% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 20 | 79°F | 60°F | 40% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 21 | 79°F | 60°F | 39% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 22 | 79°F | 61°F | 39% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 23 | 80°F | 61°F | 39% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 24 | 80°F | 61°F | 39% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 25 | 80°F | 61°F | 38% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 26 | 80°F | 62°F | 38% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 27 | 81°F | 62°F | 38% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 28 | 81°F | 62°F | 38% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 29 | 81°F | 63°F | 37% | 25% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 30 | 82°F | 63°F | 37% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 31 | 82°F | 63°F | 37% | 25% | 14 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 78°FMay average
- Normal low
- 59°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 5.18 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 130.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 50 min to 14 h 40 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 25
- Days at 80°F or more
- 15
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093821; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Louisville in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 40% on average, highest around May 1 (42%). In all, 5.18 in falls on 13 days of a normal May, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Louisville, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093821.
How humid and windy is Louisville in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 79°F with 52% relative humidity and a dew point of 60°F; at 6 a.m. it is 64°F with 83% humidity. The wind averages 7.3 mph, most often from the southwest in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 64°F | 59°F | 83% | 5.0 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 71°F | 60°F | 69% | 7.2 mph | – |
| noon | 77°F | 60°F | 56% | 9.4 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 79°F | 60°F | 52% | 10.1 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 78°F | 60°F | 54% | 9.6 mph | – |
| 9 p.m. | 73°F | 60°F | 64% | 6.5 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093821. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for May in Louisville?
The warmest May temperature on Louisville's official record (since 1872) is 98°F, on May 28, 1911; the coldest is 31°F, on May 1, 1963. The wettest May brought 11.57 in (1990); the snowiest, 1.0 inches (1898).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 68.3°F: 2021 66.0°F (−2.3), 2022 70.9°F (+2.6), 2023 67.5°F (−0.8), 2024 71.9°F (+3.6), 2025 66.8°F (−1.5), 2026 66.7°F (−1.6). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66.0°F | −2.3°F | 2.95 in |
| 2022 | 70.9°F | +2.6°F | 3.23 in |
| 2023 | 67.5°F | −0.8°F | 4.06 in |
| 2024 | 71.9°F | +3.6°F | 6.07 in |
| 2025 | 66.8°F | −1.5°F | 4.33 in |
| 2026 | 66.7°F | −1.6°F | 5.83 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record SDFthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093821. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Louisville compare across Kentucky?
Across the 68 places PlainClimate covers in Kentucky, May normal highs run from 74°F in Versailles to 81°F in Glasgow; Louisville's is 78°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.