Asheville weather in May

In May, Asheville sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 11.5 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Asheville's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Asheville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
11.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:30 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
61%
8th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Asheville is county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
799/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 69°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Asheville reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16849
26949
36949
46950
56950
67050
77050
87051
97051
107051
117151
127152
137152
147152
157152
167253
177253
187253
197253
207354
217354
227354
237355
247355
257455
267456
277456
287456
297557
307557
317557

How May really feels in Asheville

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.

Asheville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 28°3.810.12.29.91.2
Feb49° / 31°3.39.32.210.72.1
Mar57° / 37°4.211.21.411.73.9
Apr65° / 45°3.710.10.312.95.9
May72° / 53°3.511.5013.96.4
Jun78° / 60°3.714014.46.0
Jul81° / 64°3.915.6014.25.6
Aug80° / 63°4.114.3013.35.9
Sep75° / 57°3.79.6012.26.9
Oct66° / 46°3.17.40.111.16.5
Nov56° / 36°3.38.10.410.14.0
Dec48° / 31°3.58.91.49.61.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 53%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24951
34951
44951
55050
65050
74951
84951
94951
104951
115050
124951
134951
144852
154951
164852
174753
184753
194753
204753
214654
224555
234456
244456
254456
264357
274357
284357
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Asheville gets around 3.5 in of rain over 11.5 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 38% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
636
736
835
935
1035
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1737
1837
1938
2038
2138
2239
2339
2440
2540
2640
2740
2841
2941
3042
3142

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 54% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1781930
2762040
3752140
4732250
5712360
6692470
7672580
8662590
96426100
106227110
116127120
125928130
135828140
145629150
155529160
165230180
175130190
185030201
194830211
204730221
214531231
224331242
234231252
244131262
253931283
263830293
273730303
283629314
293429334
303328345
313228355

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 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
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:457:10
213.55:447:11
313.55:437:12
413.55:417:13
513.65:407:13
613.65:397:14
713.65:387:15
813.65:377:16
913.75:367:17
1013.75:357:18
1113.75:357:19
1213.85:347:19
1313.85:337:20
1413.85:327:21
1513.85:317:22
1613.95:307:23
1713.95:307:23
1813.95:297:24
1914.05:287:25
2014.05:277:26
2114.05:277:27
2214.05:267:27
2314.05:257:28
2414.15:257:29
2514.15:247:30
2614.15:247:30
2714.15:237:31
2814.25:237:32
2914.25:227:32
3014.25:227:33
3114.25:217:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.92 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Asheville?

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
4.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Asheville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Asheville in May

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

In May, Asheville sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Asheville 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 Asheville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Asheville 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 Asheville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Asheville?

Asheville sits at 35.6°N, 82.6°W, 2,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greeneville, 42 mi away.

Topography around Asheville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Asheville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 ft around an average of 2,224 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,428 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,938 ft.

The land around Asheville is covered by trees (68%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,165 ft
10 miles
3,428 ft
50 miles
5,938 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Greeneville 42 mi · Taylors 49 mi · Greer 49 mi · Wade Hampton 50 mi · Morganton 50 mi · Johnson City 50 mi · Greenville 52 mi · Easley 53 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 Asheville (35.6009°, -82.554°, elevation 2,129 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).