Athens weather in May

In May, Athens sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 4.0 in of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Athens's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athens's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.0 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:50 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Athens is county seat of Limestone County, Alabama, United States.

Density
240/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 75°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Athens reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17458
27458
37558
47558
57559
67659
77660
87660
97660
107761
117761
127761
137862
147862
157862
167862
177863
187963
197964
207964
218064
228064
238065
248065
258165
268166
278166
288166
298267
308267
318267

How May really feels in Athens

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.

Athens weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 35°5.09.90.69.92.2
Feb54° / 38°4.810.60.910.73.1
Mar62° / 45°5.511.40.311.75.1
Apr71° / 53°4.99.9012.86.5
May78° / 62°4.010.9013.86.6
Jun85° / 70°3.812014.35.0
Jul87° / 73°4.012.1014.14.4
Aug87° / 72°3.010.8013.34.7
Sep82° / 66°3.37.2012.26.6
Oct71° / 54°3.47.3011.17.3
Nov60° / 44°4.08.6010.25.2
Dec52° / 38°5.310.70.49.72.8

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34951
44951
54951
65050
75050
85050
94951
105050
115050
125050
135149
145149
155149
165248
175248
185248
195248
205248
215149
225149
235050
245050
255050
264951
275050
284951
294951
304852
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Athens gets around 4.0 in of rain over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
736
836
936
1035
1135
1235
1335
1434
1534
1634
1734
1833
1933
2034
2134
2234
2335
2435
2536
2636
2737
2837
2938
3039
3139

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 28% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
147242370
245242480
343232580
441232690
5392327100
6372328120
7362328130
8342229140
9332229160
10312229170
11302130190
12292130200
13282030220
14272030230
15261930240
16251929261
17251829271
18241828291
19231827311
20221827322
21211826332
22191726343
23181726354
24161726365
25151726376
26131726387
27121625388
28111625399
29916253911
30816244012
31715244014

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
106calm
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 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:04 AM to 4:41 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:046:27
213.45:036:27
313.45:026:28
413.55:006:29
513.54:596:30
613.54:586:31
713.64:576:31
813.64:576:32
913.64:566:33
1013.74:556:34
1113.74:546:35
1213.74:536:35
1313.74:526:36
1413.84:516:37
1513.84:506:38
1613.84:506:39
1713.84:496:39
1813.94:486:40
1913.94:476:41
2013.94:476:42
2113.94:466:42
2214.04:456:43
2314.04:456:44
2414.04:446:45
2514.04:446:45
2614.04:436:46
2714.14:436:47
2814.14:426:48
2914.14:426:48
3014.14:416:49
3114.14:416:50

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Athens?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Athens in May

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

In May, Athens sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 62°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Athens 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 Athens peaks around July 12 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 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Athens 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 Athens is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Athens?

Athens sits at 34.8°N, 87.0°W, 722 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Decatur, 14 mi away.

Topography around Athens

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Athens has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,493 ft.

The land around Athens is covered by trees (41%) and grassland (31%) within 2 miles, trees (38%), cropland (30%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
371 ft
50 miles
1,493 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Decatur 14 mi · Madison 14 mi · Huntsville 22 mi · East Florence 39 mi · Florence 40 mi · Cullman 44 mi · Shelbyville 55 mi · Columbia 57 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 Athens (34.8024°, -86.9722°, elevation 722 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).