Canton weather in May

In May, Canton sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Canton's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Canton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:41 AM – 7:28 PM
Cloud cover
57%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Canton is county seat in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States.

Density
522/km²
people per km²

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 75°F in the first days to 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Canton reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 69°F and 86°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)
17455
27555
37555
47556
57556
67656
77657
87657
97657
107758
117758
127758
137759
147859
157859
167860
177860
187960
197960
207961
217961
228061
238062
248062
258062
268163
278163
288163
298164
308264
318264

How May really feels in Canton

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.

Canton weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°5.0110.9102.5
Feb55° / 37°4.810.50.710.73.4
Mar63° / 43°5.010.80.111.75.4
Apr71° / 51°4.49.9012.86.6
May78° / 60°3.610.4013.86.7
Jun84° / 67°4.013.1014.25.0
Jul87° / 71°4.113.7014.14.3
Aug86° / 69°3.912.2013.34.6
Sep81° / 64°3.68.4012.26.5
Oct72° / 52°3.57.3011.17.3
Nov61° / 42°4.28.5010.25.4
Dec53° / 37°5.010.70.49.83.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45248
55347
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115149
125149
135248
145248
155248
165347
175248
185248
195248
205149
215248
225248
235149
245149
255050
265050
274951
284852
294852
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Canton gets around 3.6 in of rain over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2534
2634
2734
2835
2935
3036
3137

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 32% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 20% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153251840
252251940
350252050
448252060
546262170
645262280
743262380
842262390
9402624100
10392524110
11372525130
12362525140
13352526150
14342426160
15332427170
16312327180
17302327200
18292228210
19282128220
20272128230
21262128251
22242029261
23232029271
24222029281
25202029291
26191929312
27181929322
28171929332
29151829352
30141829363
31131729373

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
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 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 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:55 AM to 5:32 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:557:16
213.45:547:17
313.45:537:17
413.45:517:18
513.55:507:19
613.55:497:20
713.55:497:21
813.65:487:21
913.65:477:22
1013.65:467:23
1113.65:457:24
1213.75:447:24
1313.75:437:25
1413.75:427:26
1513.85:427:27
1613.85:417:28
1713.85:407:28
1813.85:397:29
1913.95:397:30
2013.95:387:31
2113.95:377:31
2213.95:377:32
2313.95:367:33
2414.05:367:33
2514.05:357:34
2614.05:357:35
2714.05:347:36
2814.05:347:36
2914.15:337:37
3014.15:337:38
3114.15:327:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Canton?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Canton for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Canton in May

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

In May, Canton sees daytime highs around 78°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 Canton 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 Canton peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 23UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Canton 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 Canton is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1620 µg/m³Jan 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Canton?

Canton sits at 34.2°N, 84.5°W, 968 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Woodstock, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Canton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Canton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft around an average of 994 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,404 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,885 ft.

The land around Canton is covered by trees (76%) within 2 miles, trees (82%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
377 ft
10 miles
1,404 ft
50 miles
3,885 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Woodstock 9.3 mi · Milton 13 mi · Alpharetta 16 mi · Acworth 16 mi · Kennesaw 16 mi · Roswell 17 mi · Cartersville 19 mi · Marietta 20 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 Canton (34.2368°, -84.4908°, elevation 968 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).