Boone weather in May

In May, Boone sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 15 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 71°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 Boone's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Boone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
5th warmest
Overnight low
51°
8th coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
15 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:25 AM – 7:20 PM
Cloud cover
64%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Boone is town in North Carolina, United States.

Density
1,140/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 65°F in the first days to 71°F by the end.

A typical May day in Boone reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 76°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)
16547
26547
36547
46548
56548
66648
76648
86649
96649
106649
116749
126750
136750
146750
156750
166851
176851
186851
196851
206952
216952
226952
236953
246953
257053
267054
277054
287154
297155
307155
317155

How May really feels in Boone

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.

Boone weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 25°4.511.74.89.80.1
Feb44° / 28°3.7114.610.60.8
Mar52° / 34°4.912.93.311.72.7
Apr62° / 43°4.812.61.312.94.8
May68° / 51°4.8150.113.95.5
Jun74° / 58°5.216.6014.45.7
Jul77° / 62°5.217.5014.25.7
Aug76° / 61°5.115.8013.46.0
Sep71° / 55°4.611.5012.26.4
Oct62° / 44°3.58.60.311.15.6
Nov52° / 34°3.69.31.110.12.9
Dec44° / 29°4.210.53.59.60.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 57%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24357
34258
44357
54456
64357
74357
84357
94456
104555
114456
124456
134456
144456
154555
164555
174555
184555
194456
204357
214357
224357
234357
244258
254159
264159
274258
284159
294159
304159
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Boone gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 15 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 49% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
149
249
349
449
549
648
748
848
948
1048
1148
1248
1348
1448
1548
1648
1748
1848
1948
2048
2148
2248
2349
2449
2549
2649
2749
2849
2950
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 64% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1861310
2841420
3831520
4811720
5801820
6791920
7782020
8752230
9742330
10732430
11712540
12702640
13682750
14672850
15662860
16642970
17642970
18623080
19603190
205931100
215732110
225533120
235433130
245134141
255035151
264835161
274735181
284536191
294336211
304235221
314035241

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
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 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 5:40 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 7:08 PM to 7:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:407:08
213.55:397:08
313.55:387:09
413.65:377:10
513.65:367:11
613.65:357:12
713.75:347:13
813.75:337:14
913.75:327:15
1013.75:317:15
1113.85:307:16
1213.85:297:17
1313.85:287:18
1413.95:277:19
1513.95:267:20
1613.95:257:20
1713.95:257:21
1814.05:247:22
1914.05:237:23
2014.05:227:24
2114.05:227:24
2214.15:217:25
2314.15:207:26
2414.15:207:27
2514.15:197:28
2614.25:197:28
2714.25:187:29
2814.25:187:30
2914.25:177:30
3014.25:177:31
3114.35:167:32

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.84 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Boone?

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
2.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Boone for sightseeing.

What to pack for Boone in May

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

In May, Boone sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 51°F. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Boone 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 Boone peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Boone 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 Boone 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 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Boone?

Boone sits at 36.2°N, 81.7°W, 3,219 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 22 mi away.

Topography around Boone

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Boone has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,663 ft around an average of 3,445 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,072 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,909 ft.

The land around Boone is covered by trees (75%) within 2 miles, trees (87%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,663 ft
10 miles
4,072 ft
50 miles
5,909 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Lenoir 22 mi · Morganton 32 mi · Hickory 39 mi · Johnson City 39 mi · Bristol 39 mi · Bristol 39 mi · Statesville 53 mi · Kingsport 55 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 Boone (36.2168°, -81.6745°, elevation 3,219 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).