Alabaster weather in May

In May, Alabaster sees average daytime highs of 81°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 3.8 in of rain across 9.8 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Alabaster's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alabaster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
81°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.8 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:52 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Alabaster is suburb city of Birmingham, located in Shelby County, Alabama, United States.

Density
499/km²
people per km²
Founded
1953

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 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end.

A typical May day in Alabaster reaches about 81°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 73°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17756
27757
37857
47858
57858
67858
77958
87959
97959
108060
118060
128060
138060
148161
158161
168162
178162
188262
198262
208263
218263
228364
238364
248364
258364
268365
278465
288465
298466
308466
318466

How May really feels in Alabaster

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.

Alabaster weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 36°4.89.80.5103.4
Feb59° / 39°5.110.30.310.84.4
Mar66° / 46°5.5110.211.76.0
Apr74° / 53°4.39.2012.87.0
May81° / 62°3.89.8013.76.4
Jun87° / 69°4.112.9014.24.4
Jul89° / 72°4.414.40143.7
Aug89° / 71°3.812.6013.24.0
Sep84° / 65°3.37.7012.25.8
Oct75° / 54°3.37011.27.5
Nov64° / 44°3.97.8010.36.2
Dec56° / 39°5.010.10.19.83.9

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 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35446
45446
55446
65347
75347
85446
95446
105446
115545
125545
135545
145545
155545
165545
175545
185545
195644
205644
215545
225545
235446
245347
255347
265248
275149
285050
295050
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Alabaster gets around 3.8 in of rain over 9.8 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 32% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1831
1931
2031
2132
2233
2334
2434
2535
2636
2737
2838
2938
3039
3140

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 33% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1422322121
2402323131
3392324141
4372324151
5352324161
6342325171
7322325191
8312325201
9302325211
10292225231
11282225241
12272225251
13262125271
14252125281
15242025292
16231925302
17221925312
18211826332
19211825343
20201825353
21181725364
22171725374
23161625385
24141625396
25131525406
26121525417
27111425428
2891425439
29813254410
30713244411
31612244513

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:05 AM to 4:44 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:056:24
213.35:046:24
313.45:036:25
413.45:026:26
513.45:016:27
613.45:006:27
713.55:006:28
813.54:596:29
913.54:586:30
1013.64:576:30
1113.64:566:31
1213.64:556:32
1313.64:546:33
1413.74:546:33
1513.74:536:34
1613.74:526:35
1713.74:516:36
1813.84:516:36
1913.84:506:37
2013.84:496:38
2113.84:496:38
2213.84:486:39
2313.94:486:40
2413.94:476:41
2513.94:476:41
2613.94:466:42
2713.94:466:43
2814.04:456:43
2914.04:456:44
3014.04:456:45
3114.04:446:45

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.18 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.18 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Alabaster?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Alabaster in May

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

In May, Alabaster sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Alabaster 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 Alabaster peaks around July 14 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Alabaster 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 Alabaster is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1820 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Alabaster?

Alabaster sits at 33.2°N, 86.8°W, 502 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Pelham, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Alabaster

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Alabaster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 715 ft around an average of 561 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,073 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 ft.

The land around Alabaster is covered by trees (68%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
715 ft
10 miles
1,073 ft
50 miles
1,814 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Pelham 3.1 mi · Helena 3.7 mi · Hoover 11 mi · Bessemer 14 mi · Vestavia Hills 14 mi · Homewood 16 mi · Hueytown 17 mi · Mountain Brook 18 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 Alabaster (33.2443°, -86.8164°, elevation 502 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).