Bristol weather in May

In May, Bristol sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 12.8 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 70°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Bristol's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bristol's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
12.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:27 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
60%
8th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Bristol is city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
315/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 70°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Bristol reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17050
27051
37051
47051
57151
67152
77152
87152
97153
107253
117253
127253
137253
147354
157354
167354
177355
187355
197455
207455
217456
227456
237556
247556
257557
267657
277658
287658
297658
307758
317759

How May really feels in Bristol

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.

Bristol 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
Jan46° / 29°4.012.43.99.81.1
Feb49° / 32°3.711.63.510.61.9
Mar57° / 38°4.5132.311.73.9
Apr67° / 46°3.911.90.512.95.8
May73° / 54°3.612.8013.96.3
Jun80° / 62°3.213.2014.56.1
Jul83° / 66°3.313.5014.25.5
Aug82° / 65°2.810.4013.46.3
Sep77° / 58°3.08.3012.27.1
Oct67° / 47°2.88.90.211.16.5
Nov56° / 37°3.29.70.6104.0
Dec48° / 32°4.011.72.89.51.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54852
64753
74852
84852
94852
104951
114951
124951
135050
145050
155050
165050
175149
185149
195149
205149
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Bristol gets around 3.6 in of rain over 12.8 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 42% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
444
544
644
744
844
943
1043
1143
1243
1342
1442
1541
1641
1741
1841
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3041
3141

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 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1732160
2702370
3682480
4662590
56426100
66227110
76028120
85928130
95729140
105629150
115330170
125230180
135130190
144930210
154830220
164729230
174629250
184528261
194428281
204327291
214127311
224027322
233827332
243727343
253527353
263427354
273227365
283127366
292927377
302827378
312727389

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 5:42 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:427:10
213.55:417:11
313.55:397:12
413.65:387:13
513.65:377:14
613.65:367:15
713.75:357:16
813.75:347:16
913.75:337:17
1013.85:327:18
1113.85:317:19
1213.85:307:20
1313.95:297:21
1413.95:287:22
1513.95:287:22
1613.95:277:23
1714.05:267:24
1814.05:257:25
1914.05:247:26
2014.05:247:27
2114.15:237:27
2214.15:227:28
2314.15:227:29
2414.15:217:30
2514.25:207:31
2614.25:207:31
2714.25:197:32
2814.25:197:33
2914.35:187:34
3014.35:187:34
3114.35:177:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.85 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bristol?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bristol for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bristol in May

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

In May, Bristol sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Bristol is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bristol?

Bristol sits at 36.6°N, 82.2°W, 1,677 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bristol, 0.0 mi away.

Topography around Bristol

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bristol has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 597 ft around an average of 1,772 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,411 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,486 ft.

The land around Bristol is covered by trees (56%), artificial surfaces (22%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
597 ft
10 miles
1,411 ft
50 miles
5,486 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Bristol 0.0 mi · Kingsport 21 mi · Johnson City 22 mi · Boone 39 mi · Greeneville 47 mi · Lenoir 60 mi · Morganton 65 mi · Morristown 67 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 Bristol (36.5951°, -82.1887°, elevation 1,677 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).