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By the Number
65.4: Average temperature in Fahrenheit across the contiguous U.S., the warmest May since record keeping began 124 years ago.

8: Number of states that set new records in 2018 for the warmest average temperature during the month of May.

95: Temperature in Fahrenheit on May 28 in Indianapolis, the warmest Memorial Day on record for the city.

100: Temperature in Fahrenheit on May 28 in Minneapolis, the earliest date in the calendar year a triple-digit high has been recorded in the city.

5.1: Degrees in Fahrenheit above the average overnight low for the month of May in the 48 contiguous states recorded in 2018.

Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service in Indianapolis
Last month was the hottest May on record for the 48 contiguous states. Eight of those states, including Indiana, set individual records.

The average temperature of 65.4 degrees Fahrenheit in May 2018 was 5.2 degrees above average for the lower 48, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This surpassed the previous record of 64.7 degrees set in 1934, during the Dust Bowl era. In addition to Indiana, the average temperature last month was a record for Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia.

The May heat was a stark contrast to the previous month in the Hoosier state. April 2018 was the third coolest on record for Indiana, with an average temperature of 45.1 degrees. Temperatures were mild during the first week of May, but things warmed up and stayed hot after the 8th, resulting in an average temperature of 69.6 degrees. 

Several local records were set in Indiana during May. For instance, the average temperature of 72.6 degrees in Indianapolis beat the city's previous record set in May 1896 by nearly two degrees, according to a report from the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. The high of 88 on May 13 marked the city's warmest Mother's Day on record and the peak of 95 degrees on May 28 was the warmest Memorial Day on record for Indianapolis.
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