Charlottesville weather in May

In May, Charlottesville sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 72°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Charlottesville's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Charlottesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:09 AM – 7:12 PM
Cloud cover
62%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Charlottesville is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,754/km²
people per km²
Founded
1762

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 72°F in the first days to 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Charlottesville reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17151
27252
37252
47252
57253
67353
77353
87353
97354
107354
117454
127454
137455
147455
157555
167555
177556
187556
197656
207656
217657
227757
237758
247758
257858
267859
277859
287959
297960
307960
318060

How May really feels in Charlottesville

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.

Charlottesville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 29°3.18.22.79.71.1
Feb49° / 30°2.88.12.610.52.0
Mar57° / 37°3.910.21.611.74.1
Apr68° / 47°3.49.60.1136.2
May75° / 56°3.511.20146.6
Jun83° / 64°3.210.9014.65.5
Jul87° / 69°3.311.6014.44.5
Aug85° / 67°3.19.5013.55.2
Sep79° / 60°4.28.7012.36.8
Oct68° / 48°3.37.30116.8
Nov57° / 38°3.17.40.29.94.4
Dec48° / 32°3.48.21.69.41.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144456
154456
164555
174555
184555
194456
204357
214357
224357
234456
244555
254555
264555
274654
284654
294654
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Charlottesville gets around 3.5 in of rain over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
537
637
737
837
937
1038
1137
1237
1337
1437
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2236
2336
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 8% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
174141110
272151210
370151320
468161420
566171520
664181620
763191620
862191720
959201830
1059201830
1157201940
1257201940
1355202050
1455202050
1554192160
1654192160
1752192270
1852182280
1950182390
2049182490
21471824100
22461825111
23441826121
24431826121
25411826131
26401926141
27382027141
28372026151
29352126161
30342126171
31332226182

Wind in May

Winds average 5 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
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
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 36 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 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:24 AM to 4:59 AM, and sunset from 6:58 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:246:58
213.65:236:59
313.65:227:00
413.75:217:01
513.75:207:02
613.75:197:02
713.85:177:03
813.85:167:04
913.85:157:05
1013.95:147:06
1113.95:137:07
1213.95:127:08
1314.05:117:09
1414.05:107:10
1514.05:107:11
1614.05:097:12
1714.15:087:13
1814.15:077:13
1914.15:067:14
2014.25:057:15
2114.25:057:16
2214.25:047:17
2314.25:037:18
2414.35:037:18
2514.35:027:19
2614.35:017:20
2714.35:017:21
2814.45:007:22
2914.45:007:22
3014.44:597:23
3114.44:597:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Charlottesville?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Charlottesville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Charlottesville in May

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

In May, Charlottesville sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 56°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Charlottesville?

Charlottesville sits at 38.0°N, 78.5°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waynesboro, 22 mi away.

Topography around Charlottesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Charlottesville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft around an average of 466 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,529 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,416 ft.

The land around Charlottesville is covered by trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
915 ft
10 miles
1,529 ft
50 miles
4,416 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Waynesboro 22 mi · Staunton 34 mi · Harrisonburg 36 mi · Culpeper 40 mi · Short Pump 54 mi · Lynchburg 56 mi · West Lynchburg 58 mi · Midlothian 58 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 Charlottesville (38.0293°, -78.4767°, elevation 466 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).