Aiken weather in May

In May, Aiken sees average daytime highs of 83°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 86°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Aiken's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aiken's year-round climate.

Daytime high
83°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:31 AM – 7:15 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Aiken is city in South Carolina, United States.

Density
562/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 86°F by the end.

A typical May day in Aiken reaches about 83°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 74°F and 91°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18058
28058
38158
48159
58159
68160
78260
88260
98260
108261
118261
128261
138362
148362
158362
168362
178363
188363
198463
208464
218464
228464
238564
248565
258565
268565
278566
288566
298666
308667
318667

How May really feels in Aiken

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Aiken weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan57° / 37°3.69.3104.1
Feb60° / 40°3.68.410.85.0
Mar68° / 46°3.88.811.76.6
Apr76° / 54°3.27.912.87.2
May83° / 62°3.09.113.76.0
Jun88° / 70°4.213.614.24.0
Jul91° / 73°4.215.8143.1
Aug90° / 72°4.013.813.23.6
Sep85° / 66°3.39.312.25.5
Oct76° / 55°3.16.711.27.5
Nov66° / 45°2.8710.36.7
Dec59° / 40°3.599.84.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35941
45941
55941
65941
75842
85842
95842
105842
115743
125743
135644
145644
155644
165743
175644
185644
195545
205545
215446
225446
235545
245446
255446
265446
275347
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Aiken gets around 3.0 in of rain over 9.1 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1327
1427
1527
1628
1728
1829
1929
2030
2131
2231
2332
2433
2534
2635
2736
2836
2937
3038
3139

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 23% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153221690
252221790
3512217100
4492219100
5472220110
6452221110
7442222120
8422223120
9412224121
10392225131
11382226131
12362127141
13352128141
14342129152
15322129162
16312030172
17302030182
18282030193
19271930203
20261930214
21251930224
22231929245
23211929255
24201929276
25181828287
26171828298
27151827319
281418263210
291217263312
301117253413
311016243514

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:457:04
213.35:447:04
313.45:427:05
413.45:417:06
513.45:417:07
613.55:407:07
713.55:397:08
813.55:387:09
913.55:377:10
1013.65:367:11
1113.65:357:11
1213.65:347:12
1313.75:337:13
1413.75:337:14
1513.75:327:14
1613.75:317:15
1713.85:307:16
1813.85:307:17
1913.85:297:17
2013.85:287:18
2113.85:287:19
2213.95:277:19
2313.95:277:20
2413.95:267:21
2513.95:267:22
2614.05:257:22
2714.05:257:23
2814.05:247:24
2914.05:247:24
3014.05:237:25
3114.05:237:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.21 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.21 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Aiken?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Aiken for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Aiken in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Aiken sees daytime highs around 83°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Aiken in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Aiken peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Aiken in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Aiken is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Jan 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Aiken?

Aiken sits at 33.6°N, 81.7°W, 515 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is North Augusta, 15 mi away.

Topography around Aiken

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Aiken.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Aiken has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 505 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 466 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 ft.

The land around Aiken is covered by trees (70%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
466 ft
50 miles
1,175 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: North Augusta 15 mi · Augusta 16 mi · Martinez 21 mi · Evans 24 mi · Lexington 40 mi · Seven Oaks 47 mi · West Columbia 48 mi · Saint Andrews 48 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Aiken (33.5604°, -81.7195°, elevation 515 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).