Beckley weather in May

In May, Beckley sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 5.3 in of rain across 16.2 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 73°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Beckley's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Beckley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.3 in
16.2 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:20 AM – 7:22 PM
Cloud cover
65%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Beckley is city in and county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States.

Density
693/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

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 67°F in the first days to 73°F by the end.

A typical May day in Beckley reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 79°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)
16648
26748
36749
46749
56749
66749
76750
86850
96850
106851
116851
126851
136951
146951
156952
166952
176952
187053
197053
207053
217053
227154
237154
247154
257155
267255
277255
287256
297356
307356
317356

How May really feels in Beckley

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.

Beckley weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 25°4.012.86.89.70.0
Feb44° / 27°4.013610.50.6
Mar52° / 34°4.914.84.711.72.5
Apr63° / 44°4.513.31.312.95.0
May69° / 52°5.316.20145.5
Jun76° / 60°5.015.8014.65.9
Jul79° / 63°5.516.6014.35.7
Aug78° / 62°3.914013.56.2
Sep73° / 56°3.910.2012.36.8
Oct63° / 45°3.49.80.4115.6
Nov53° / 35°3.410.21.9102.9
Dec44° / 29°4.112.25.49.40.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53961
63961
73961
83961
93862
103862
113862
123862
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203961
214060
223961
233961
244159
254060
264060
274258
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Beckley gets around 5.3 in of rain over 16.2 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 52% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
251
351
452
552
652
752
853
953
1053
1153
1253
1353
1453
1553
1653
1753
1853
1953
2053
2153
2253
2352
2452
2552
2651
2751
2851
2951
3050
3150

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 56% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1791740
2781840
3761950
4742060
5732160
6712270
7692380
8682390
96624100
106524110
116324130
126224140
136124150
146024160
155924170
165824180
175624191
185424211
195324221
205224231
215024252
224824262
234625263
244525273
254326283
264126284
274027294
283827305
293728305
303628316
313428326

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
107calm
117calm
127calm
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 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:36 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 7:08 PM to 7:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:367:08
213.65:347:09
313.65:337:10
413.65:327:11
513.75:317:12
613.75:307:13
713.75:297:14
813.85:287:15
913.85:277:16
1013.85:267:17
1113.95:257:17
1213.95:247:18
1313.95:237:19
1414.05:227:20
1514.05:217:21
1614.05:207:22
1714.15:197:23
1814.15:187:24
1914.15:187:25
2014.15:177:25
2114.25:167:26
2214.25:157:27
2314.25:157:28
2414.25:147:29
2514.35:137:29
2614.35:137:30
2714.35:127:31
2814.35:127:32
2914.45:117:33
3014.45:117:33
3114.45:107:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Beckley?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Beckley for sightseeing.

What to pack for Beckley in May

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

In May, Beckley sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 52°F. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Beckley 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 Beckley peaks around July 11 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 11UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Beckley 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 Beckley is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Dec 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May12Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Beckley?

Beckley sits at 37.8°N, 81.2°W, 2,421 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Charleston, 47 mi away.

Topography around Beckley

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Beckley has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 568 ft around an average of 2,382 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,149 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,157 ft.

The land around Beckley is covered by trees (68%) within 2 miles, trees (88%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
568 ft
10 miles
2,149 ft
50 miles
4,157 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Charleston 47 mi · Radford 56 mi · Blacksburg 57 mi · Christiansburg 62 mi · Salem 71 mi · Cave Spring 75 mi · Roanoke 77 mi · Huntington 81 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 Beckley (37.7782°, -81.1882°, elevation 2,421 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).