West Lafayette weather in May: West Lafayette, Indiana: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
West Lafayette in May has a normal high of 72°F and a normal low of 51°F, a daily mean of 62°F, rising from 67°F on the 1st to 77°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 13 days in a normal May, 4.70 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 22°C and low of 11°C, 119 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationWest Lafayette (6 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00129430
- Location40.48°N 86.99°W
- Elevation708 ft (216 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population46,338
- Jan 32° 16°
- Feb 37° 20°
- Mar 48° 29°
- Apr 61° 39°
- May 72° 51°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 83° 63°
- Aug 82° 60°
- Sep 77° 52°
- Oct 65° 41°
- Nov 50° 32°
- Dec 37° 22°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is West Lafayette in May?
The normal high is 72°F and the normal low 51°F, for a daily mean of 61.5°F. May is 11.3°F warmer than April and 9.1°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in West Lafayette and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 10°F, from 67°F on May 1 to 77°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.5°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 58°F and 65°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 | 67°F | 45°F | 42% | 28% |
| May 8 | 70°F | 48°F | 42% | 29% |
| May 15 | 72°F | 51°F | 42% | 29% |
| May 22 | 74°F | 53°F | 41% | 28% |
| May 31 | 77°F | 56°F | 40% | 28% |
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 | 67°F | 45°F | 42% | 28% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 2 | 68°F | 46°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 3 | 68°F | 46°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 4 | 68°F | 47°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 5 | 69°F | 47°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h |
| May 6 | 69°F | 47°F | 42% | 28% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 7 | 69°F | 48°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 8 | 70°F | 48°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 9 | 70°F | 48°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 10 | 70°F | 49°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 11 | 71°F | 49°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 12 | 71°F | 50°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 13 | 71°F | 50°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 14 | 72°F | 50°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 15 | 72°F | 51°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 16 | 72°F | 51°F | 42% | 29% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 17 | 73°F | 51°F | 41% | 29% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 18 | 73°F | 52°F | 41% | 29% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 19 | 73°F | 52°F | 41% | 29% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 20 | 74°F | 52°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 21 | 74°F | 53°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 22 | 74°F | 53°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 23 | 75°F | 53°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 24 | 75°F | 54°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 25 | 75°F | 54°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 26 | 75°F | 55°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 27 | 76°F | 55°F | 41% | 28% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 28 | 76°F | 55°F | 40% | 28% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 29 | 76°F | 56°F | 40% | 28% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 30 | 77°F | 56°F | 40% | 28% | 14 h 50 min |
| May 31 | 77°F | 56°F | 40% | 28% | 14 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 72°FMay average
- Normal low
- 51°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 4.70 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 50 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 20
- Days at 80°F or more
- 10
- Sunshine
- 71%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00129430; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in West Lafayette in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 41% on average, highest around May 2 (42%). In all, 4.70 in falls on 13 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in West Lafayette, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00129430.
What are the records for May in West Lafayette?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1901) is 97°F, on May 29, 2018; the coldest is 24°F, on May 9, 2020. The wettest May brought 12.71 in (1943); the snowiest, 1.5 inches (1923).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 61.5°F: 2021 60.2°F (−1.3), 2022 65.0°F (+3.5), 2023 63.0°F (+1.5), 2025 62.1°F (+0.6), 2026 61.9°F (+0.4). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60.2°F | −1.3°F | 5.50 in |
| 2022 | 65.0°F | +3.5°F | 5.74 in |
| 2023 | 63.0°F | +1.5°F | 2.94 in |
| 2025 | 62.1°F | +0.6°F | 3.27 in |
| 2026 | 61.9°F | +0.4°F | 2.54 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00129430; recent months: ACIS, station USC00129430. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in West Lafayette compare across Indiana?
Across the 99 places PlainClimate covers in Indiana, May normal highs run from 69°F in Angola to 79°F in Boonville; West Lafayette's is 72°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.