Blacksburg weather in May

In May, Blacksburg sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 11.8 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 68°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Blacksburg's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Blacksburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:18 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Blacksburg is town in Virginia, United States.

Density
857/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 68°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Blacksburg reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16748
26848
36849
46849
56849
66949
76950
86950
96950
106950
116951
127051
137051
147051
157052
167152
177152
187152
197153
207253
217253
227254
237254
247354
257355
267355
277355
287456
297456
307456
317457

How May really feels in Blacksburg

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.

Blacksburg 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
Jan42° / 26°3.19.239.70.4
Feb46° / 28°2.98.83.210.61.2
Mar54° / 35°3.8112.311.73.2
Apr64° / 44°3.110.70.412.95.6
May71° / 52°3.311.80146.2
Jun78° / 60°3.011.8014.56.4
Jul82° / 64°2.812.5014.36.0
Aug81° / 63°2.510.4013.46.4
Sep75° / 56°3.18.5012.37.1
Oct65° / 45°2.67.20.2116.2
Nov54° / 35°2.67.50.4103.5
Dec45° / 30°3.18.52.39.51.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44456
54456
64456
74456
84456
94357
104357
114357
124357
134357
144357
154357
164357
174357
184357
194357
204258
214258
224258
234258
244357
254357
264357
274456
284357
294357
304357
314258

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Blacksburg gets around 3.3 in of rain over 11.8 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
339
439
539
639
739
839
939
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2239
2339
2438
2538
2637
2737
2837
2936
3036
3136

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 58% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1821530
2791740
3781840
4752050
5742150
6722260
7702370
8692470
9672580
10662590
116426100
126326110
136126130
146026140
155926150
165925160
175725180
185625190
195425201
205225221
215125231
224926241
234826251
244627262
254427272
264327272
274128283
284028293
293928303
303728304
313628314

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
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 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 5:34 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:347:04
213.55:327:05
313.65:317:06
413.65:307:07
513.65:297:08
613.75:287:09
713.75:277:10
813.75:267:11
913.85:257:11
1013.85:247:12
1113.85:237:13
1213.95:227:14
1313.95:217:15
1413.95:207:16
1514.05:197:17
1614.05:187:18
1714.05:177:18
1814.05:177:19
1914.15:167:20
2014.15:157:21
2114.15:147:22
2214.15:147:23
2314.25:137:23
2414.25:127:24
2514.25:127:25
2614.25:117:26
2714.35:117:27
2814.35:107:27
2914.35:107:28
3014.35:097:29
3114.35:097:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.75 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
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 Blacksburg?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Blacksburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Blacksburg in May

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

In May, Blacksburg sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Blacksburg 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 Blacksburg peaks around July 13 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 13UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Blacksburg 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 Blacksburg is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Dec 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Blacksburg?

Blacksburg sits at 37.2°N, 80.4°W, 2,077 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Christiansburg, 6.8 mi away.

Topography around Blacksburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Blacksburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 558 ft around an average of 2,119 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,592 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,678 ft.

The land around Blacksburg is covered by trees (52%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
558 ft
10 miles
2,592 ft
50 miles
3,678 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Christiansburg 6.8 mi · Radford 11 mi · Salem 21 mi · Cave Spring 22 mi · Roanoke 26 mi · Beckley 57 mi · Eden 63 mi · West Lynchburg 69 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 Blacksburg (37.2296°, -80.4139°, elevation 2,077 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).