Bloomington Weather in May (1981–2025)

📍 40.47°N, 88.98°W •
📊

May at a Glance in Bloomington

(1981–2025)
Avg High
🔥
22.2°C
Avg Low
❄️
10.4°C
Avg Temp
🌡️
16.3°C
Avg Rain
🌧️
110 mm
Avg Humidity
💧
76%
Avg Wind
🌬️
3.3 m/s
Avg Solar
☀️
5.5
kWh/m²/day
vs Annual
📈
+5.7°C
temp difference
🌤️Mild afternoons🌤️Cool mornings☀️Very sunny🌧️Wet month💨Breezy💦Humid air

Bloomington May Weather Overview

May is one of the warmer months of the year in Bloomington, with average highs near 22.2°C and lows around 10.4°C (mean 16.3°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 110 mm of rainfall and 76% relative humidity across the period.

Bloomington May Temperature History (1981–2025)

Range

May is one of the warmer months of the year in Bloomington. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Bloomington was 2018 — when the month averaged 20.8°C — while the coldest was 1983 at 13.2°C. Typical May days reach 22.2°C with nights near 10.4°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.4°C per decade.

1981–1985 vs 2021–2025

Avg Temp15.1°C→17.0°C+1.9°C
Max Temp21.0°C→23.0°C+2°C
Min Temp9.1°C→11.0°C+1.9°C

Trend (per decade)

Avg Temp+0.4°C/decade ↗
Max Temp+0.4°C/decade ↗
Min Temp+0.5°C/decade ↗

Distribution of Avg Temp

13.0°C–15.0°C11 yr (24%)
15.0°C–17.0°C19 yr (42%)
17.0°C–19.0°C12 yr (27%)
19.0°C–21.0°C3 yr (7%)

Bloomington May Rainfall History (1981–2025)

Range

May is a relatively wet time of year in Bloomington, averaging 110 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 1995 with 255 mm, while the driest was 1992 at 21 mm.

Bloomington May Humidity History (1981–2025)

Range

Relative humidity in Bloomington during May averages 76%. The most humid May was 1991 at 84%, and the least humid was 1988 at 66%.

Bloomington May Solar History (1981–2025)

Range

May receives about 5.5 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Bloomington. The sunniest Mays were 1988 and 1994 at 6.7 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1995 and 1996 at 4.5.

Bloomington May Wind History (1981–2025)

Range

Average wind speed in Bloomington during May is 3.3 m/s. The windiest Mays were 1985, 1997 and 2008 at 3.8 m/s, while the calmest were 1991, 1994 and 2023 at 2.8 m/s.

What May Feels Like in Bloomington

🌅
Cool
Morning
🌞
Mild
Afternoon
🌆
Cool
Evening
Rain chanceHigh
Outdoor comfort★★★★☆

How May Ranks in Bloomington

🔥5th warmest month of the year
🌧️1st wettest month of the year
☀️3rd sunniest month of the year

Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.

Explore Bloomington Weather by Month

Bloomington May Averages by Decade

Metric1980s1990s2000s2010s2020sChange
Avg Temp15.7°C15.8°C16.2°C17.3°C16.7°C+1°C
Avg High21.8°C21.6°C22.2°C23.0°C22.6°C+0.8°C
Avg Low9.5°C10.0°C10.3°C11.6°C10.8°C+1.3°C
Avg Rain96 mm124 mm106 mm121 mm99 mm+4 mm

Extreme May Records in Bloomington

🔥Warmest May33.5°C2012
🧊Coldest May-2.8°C1989
🌧️Wettest May255 mm1995
🏜️Driest May21 mm1992
🌬️Windiest May3.8 m/s1985

Key Insights for May

✅

May temperatures in Bloomington have risen by about 1.9°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.

✅

May has ranged from a record low of -2.8°C (1989) to a record high of 33.5°C (2012).

✅

Rainfall in May is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 110 mm, with a wettest year of 255 mm.

Is May a Good Time to Visit Bloomington?

A good time to visit Bloomington

May is a good time to visit Bloomington, with days averaging 22.2°C and nights around 10.4°C (mean 16.3°C, warmer than Bloomington's yearly average) and higher rainfall. August and June are marginally more temperate, but May still suits most travellers.

See Bloomington's complete weather history All 12 months side by side, 1981–2025 records, annual trends and long-term averages in one place. View full history →

Bloomington Weather in May — In Depth

☀️ May climate overview

May is one of the warmer months of the year in Bloomington, with average highs near 22.2°C and lows around 10.4°C (mean 16.3°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 110 mm of rainfall and 76% relative humidity across the period.

🌧️ Rain, humidity & wind in May

May averages 110 mm of rainfall in Bloomington, a relatively wet time of year compared with the rest of the year. The wettest May on record saw 255 mm (1995), and the driest just 21 mm (1992). Humidity sits around 76% and average wind speed is 3.3 m/s, with solar radiation averaging 5.5 kWh/m²/day.

📈 How May has changed

Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.9°C. Daytime highs moved from 21°C to 23°C and overnight lows from 9.1°C to 11°C over the same span.
May Weather in Bloomington, Year by Year
🔥 warmest❄️ coldest🌧️ wettest
YearAvg HighAvg TempAvg LowHottest DayColdest DayRainfallHumidityWindSolar
202522.1°C16.0°C9.8°C30.8°C4.1°C79 mm73%3.2 m/s5.5
202424.5°C18.6°C12.6°C29.7°C7.9°C117 mm75%3 m/s6
202324.1°C17.5°C11.0°C31.1°C1.5°C56 mm68%2.8 m/s6.4
202223.0°C17.5°C12.0°C31.0°C3.8°C93 mm79%3.7 m/s5.2
202121.3°C15.6°C9.8°C29.5°C0.9°C117 mm72%3.2 m/s5.4
202020.4°C15.0°C9.6°C29.0°C0.4°C134 mm79%3.2 m/s5.3
201921.9°C16.8°C11.6°C27.9°C4.7°C167 mm81%3.4 m/s5.1
2018 🔥26.7°C20.8°C14.9°C33.2°C8.0°C68 mm77%2.9 m/s6
201721.4°C15.6°C9.8°C28.6°C3.1°C121 mm77%3.6 m/s5.7
201621.7°C16.1°C10.4°C28.5°C1.6°C91 mm76%3 m/s5.6
201523.5°C17.8°C12.1°C28.1°C2.5°C140 mm76%3.5 m/s5.5
201422.7°C16.9°C11.1°C29.5°C2.3°C64 mm74%3.4 m/s5.8
201322.5°C17.1°C11.8°C29.0°C1.1°C205 mm81%3.5 m/s5.1
201225.6°C19.1°C12.6°C33.5°C6.4°C70 mm69%3.2 m/s6.6
201121.4°C16.0°C10.5°C30.1°C0.2°C136 mm82%3.4 m/s4.8
201022.4°C16.8°C11.2°C30.2°C0.9°C149 mm80%3.3 m/s5.5
200921.4°C15.6°C9.7°C27.8°C1.2°C132 mm78%2.9 m/s5.7
200819.8°C14.0°C8.2°C27.6°C2.2°C123 mm77%3.8 m/s5.1
200724.1°C18.5°C12.9°C29.3°C4.8°C58 mm76%3.3 m/s5.6
200621.3°C15.9°C10.5°C31.1°C3.6°C65 mm76%3.2 m/s5.6
200521.8°C15.4°C8.9°C28.1°C-2.2°C33 mm71%3.3 m/s6.2
200424.0°C18.3°C12.6°C30.1°C-0.5°C162 mm78%3.7 m/s5.4
200322.2°C15.8°C9.4°C29.5°C1.7°C107 mm72%3.7 m/s5.4
200220.2°C13.8°C7.4°C30.3°C-1.1°C160 mm78%3.6 m/s5.4
200122.9°C17.2°C11.4°C30.3°C4.8°C110 mm73%3.5 m/s5.2
200024.2°C17.9°C11.7°C30.1°C3.7°C105 mm72%3.7 m/s4.8
199923.0°C16.9°C10.9°C27.2°C4.8°C118 mm75%3.6 m/s5.8
199824.2°C18.6°C13.0°C29.7°C6.4°C137 mm80%3 m/s5.7
199719.5°C13.4°C7.2°C28.5°C2.4°C76 mm70%3.8 m/s5.5
199621.6°C15.8°C9.9°C30.3°C2.5°C192 mm77%3.5 m/s4.5
1995 🌧️20.1°C14.7°C9.3°C24.6°C4.1°C255 mm78%3.3 m/s4.5
199420.8°C14.3°C7.9°C28.1°C0.6°C51 mm76%2.8 m/s6.7
199321.5°C15.9°C10.4°C27.1°C2.5°C61 mm79%3.4 m/s5.2
199221.1°C14.6°C8.2°C27.9°C-0.4°C21 mm72%3 m/s5.8
199124.1°C19.2°C14.3°C30.8°C3.3°C152 mm84%2.8 m/s5.4
199020.1°C14.3°C8.4°C25.0°C1.7°C177 mm77%3.7 m/s5
198920.5°C14.3°C8.0°C29.3°C-2.8°C91 mm72%3.3 m/s5.4
198824.1°C16.6°C9.1°C30.5°C1.9°C39 mm66%3.2 m/s6.7
198724.7°C18.6°C12.6°C28.8°C2.8°C60 mm74%3 m/s6.3
198622.1°C16.4°C10.7°C27.5°C2.4°C88 mm76%3.1 m/s5.3
198522.6°C16.6°C10.5°C28.9°C3.3°C69 mm74%3.8 m/s6
198419.3°C13.4°C7.5°C26.8°C1.2°C140 mm78%3.4 m/s5.1
1983 ❄️19.0°C13.2°C7.4°C23.7°C-2.0°C102 mm79%3.6 m/s—
198224.4°C18.7°C12.9°C27.1°C7.6°C119 mm78%3 m/s—
198119.8°C13.5°C7.2°C26.9°C0.4°C152 mm74%3.7 m/s—

Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.

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Bloomington May Weather — FAQ

What is the average temperature in Bloomington in May?▼

The average high in May is around 22.2°C with lows near 10.4°C (mean 16.3°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.

Does it rain a lot in Bloomington in May?▼

May averages 110 mm of rainfall in Bloomington, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 255 mm in 1995.

What was the hottest May on record in Bloomington?▼

The hottest May reached 33.5°C in 2012. The coldest dipped to -2.8°C in 1989.

Has May in Bloomington gotten warmer over time?▼

Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.9°C. Daytime highs moved from 21°C to 23°C and overnight lows from 9.1°C to 11°C over the same span.

Is May a good time to visit Bloomington?▼

May is one of the warmer months of the year in Bloomington and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 22.2°C daytime highs and 10.4°C at night.

Is May the coldest month in Bloomington?▼

Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Bloomington, averaging 16.3°C.

What should I pack for Bloomington in May?▼

For May in Bloomington, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 22.2°C and lows of 10.4°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.

Is Bloomington humid in May?▼

Relative humidity in May averages 76% — quite humid.

How windy is Bloomington in May?▼

Average wind speed in May is 3.3 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 3.8 m/s (1985).

Which May had the most rainfall in Bloomington?▼

The wettest May on record was 1995 with 255 mm. On average, May sees 110 mm.

Where does this May weather data come from?▼

All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.

Other Illinois cities

Explore how the weather in Bloomington behaves each May, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for May specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.