Anniston weather in May

In May, Anniston sees average daytime highs of 80°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 3.4 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 77°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Anniston's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anniston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
80°
5th warmest
Overnight low
61°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:47 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
56%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Anniston is county seat of Calhoun County, Alabama, USA.

Density
189/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 77°F in the first days to 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in Anniston reaches about 80°F in the afternoon and slips back to 61°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 71°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)
17656
27656
37756
47757
57757
67858
77858
87858
97858
107959
117959
127960
137960
148060
158060
168061
178061
188161
198162
208162
218162
228263
238263
248263
258264
268264
278364
288365
298365
308365
318365

How May really feels in Anniston

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.

Anniston 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
Jan53° / 35°4.610.10.6103.0
Feb57° / 38°4.610.30.510.74.0
Mar65° / 45°5.0110.211.75.8
Apr73° / 52°4.09.6012.86.9
May80° / 61°3.49.8013.76.5
Jun86° / 68°3.612.9014.24.6
Jul89° / 71°3.913.90143.9
Aug88° / 70°3.312.2013.24.2
Sep83° / 64°3.18.6012.25.9
Oct74° / 53°2.96.8011.27.4
Nov63° / 43°3.98010.36.0
Dec55° / 38°4.710.40.39.83.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 47%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35446
45347
55347
65347
75248
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145446
155446
165446
175446
185446
195446
205446
215446
225347
235347
245347
255248
265248
275149
285050
295050
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Anniston gets around 3.4 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 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2031
2131
2232
2332
2433
2534
2634
2735
2836
2936
3037
3138

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 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
147252070
246252180
344262190
4422622100
5402623110
6382623120
7372623130
8362624150
9342624160
10332624170
11322624180
12312625190
13302525200
14292525210
15282425230
16272425240
17262425250
18252325260
19242325271
20232226281
21222226291
22202226302
23192126312
24172127323
25162127333
26152027344
27132027354
28122027365
29111927375
30101927386
3191827397

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
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
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 5:01 AM to 4:39 AM, and sunset from 6:20 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:016:20
213.45:006:21
313.44:596:22
413.44:586:23
513.44:576:23
613.54:566:24
713.54:556:25
813.54:546:26
913.64:536:26
1013.64:526:27
1113.64:516:28
1213.64:516:29
1313.74:506:29
1413.74:496:30
1513.74:486:31
1613.74:476:32
1713.84:476:32
1813.84:466:33
1913.84:456:34
2013.84:456:35
2113.94:446:35
2213.94:436:36
2313.94:436:37
2413.94:426:38
2513.94:426:38
2614.04:416:39
2714.04:416:40
2814.04:406:40
2914.04:406:41
3014.04:406:42
3114.04:396:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.09 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Anniston?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Anniston in May

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

In May, Anniston sees daytime highs around 80°F and nights near 61°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Anniston 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 Anniston peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — 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 highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Anniston 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 Anniston is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1820 µg/m³Jan 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Anniston?

Anniston sits at 33.7°N, 85.8°W, 719 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oxford, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Anniston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Anniston has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 846 ft around an average of 873 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,726 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,133 ft.

The land around Anniston is covered by trees (67%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
846 ft
10 miles
1,726 ft
50 miles
2,133 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Oxford 3.1 mi · Talladega 22 mi · Gadsden 27 mi · Carrollton 43 mi · Trussville 45 mi · Albertville 47 mi · Dixiana 47 mi · Center Point 49 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 Anniston (33.6598°, -85.8316°, elevation 719 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).