Athens weather in May

In May, Athens sees average daytime highs of 80°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-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 34% 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 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Athens's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athens's year-round climate.

Daytime high
80°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:37 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
56%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Athens is consolidated city-county and county seat of Clarke County, Georgia, United States.

Density
416/km²
people per km²
Founded
1806

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 Athens reaches about 80°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 20°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
27756
37756
47757
57857
67857
77858
87858
97958
107959
117959
127959
138060
148060
158060
168060
178061
188161
198161
208162
218162
228262
238263
248263
258263
268264
278364
288364
298365
308365
318365

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 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 35°4.410.30.6103.1
Feb57° / 38°4.49.50.410.74.1
Mar65° / 44°4.59.90.111.75.9
Apr73° / 52°3.68.8012.87.0
May80° / 60°3.39.5013.76.6
Jun86° / 68°4.013.8014.24.5
Jul89° / 71°4.014.50143.7
Aug88° / 70°4.312.9013.34.2
Sep83° / 64°3.68.2012.26.2
Oct73° / 53°3.36.8011.17.4
Nov63° / 43°3.68.2010.25.9
Dec55° / 37°4.410.40.39.83.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 (%)
15545
25545
35545
45644
55644
65545
75545
85545
95545
105545
115545
125545
135545
145545
155446
165446
175446
185446
195347
205347
215347
225248
235149
245149
255050
264951
274951
284951
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Athens gets around 3.3 in of rain over 9.5 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% 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 (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2030
2130
2231
2331
2432
2533
2634
2735
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 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153241850
251241960
350242060
448242170
546242280
644242390
7432424100
8412425110
9402425110
10382326120
11372327130
12362327140
13342228150
14332228160
15322229170
16312129181
17302129191
18292029201
19282030211
20271930222
21261930242
22241930252
23231930263
24211930273
25201930293
26181929304
27171929324
28151928334
29141928345
30131827366
31121826376

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
155calm
165calm
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 h 06 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 5:51 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:517:11
213.45:507:12
313.45:487:12
413.45:477:13
513.55:467:14
613.55:467:15
713.55:457:16
813.55:447:16
913.65:437:17
1013.65:427:18
1113.65:417:19
1213.75:407:19
1313.75:397:20
1413.75:387:21
1513.75:387:22
1613.85:377:23
1713.85:367:23
1813.85:367:24
1913.85:357:25
2013.95:347:26
2113.95:347:26
2213.95:337:27
2313.95:327:28
2413.95:327:28
2514.05:317:29
2614.05:317:30
2714.05:307:30
2814.05:307:31
2914.05:297:32
3014.15:297:32
3114.15:297:33

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.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.09 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
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
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
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
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
3rd-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-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 80°F and nights near 60°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Athens in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Athens peaks around June 21 at about 10 (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 21UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

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 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Athens?

Athens sits at 34.0°N, 83.4°W, 748 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Winder, 20 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 246 ft around an average of 712 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,349 ft.

The land around Athens is covered by trees (61%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
246 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
2,349 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Winder 20 mi · Gainesville 35 mi · Lawrenceville 35 mi · Snellville 37 mi · Sugar Hill 39 mi · Suwanee 40 mi · Conyers 42 mi · Duluth 44 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 (33.9609°, -83.3779°, elevation 748 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).