Clarksdale weather in May

In May, Clarksdale sees average daytime highs of 81°F and overnight lows near 63°F, with 5.3 in of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 77°F in the first days to 84°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Clarksdale's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Clarksdale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
81°
5th warmest
Overnight low
63°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.3 in
10.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:05 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
56%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Clarksdale is city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States of America.

Density
346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

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 77°F in the first days to 84°F by the end.

A typical May day in Clarksdale reaches about 81°F in the afternoon and slips back to 63°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17759
27759
37759
47860
57860
67860
77861
87961
97961
107962
118062
128062
138062
148063
158163
168163
178164
188164
198264
208265
218265
228265
238366
248366
258366
268367
278367
288467
298467
308468
318468

How May really feels in Clarksdale

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.

Clarksdale 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
Jan52° / 35°4.69.80.6102.8
Feb56° / 38°4.69.90.610.73.7
Mar65° / 46°5.211.70.211.75.6
Apr73° / 54°5.510.1012.86.8
May81° / 63°5.310.7013.86.3
Jun87° / 71°3.710014.24.6
Jul90° / 74°3.610.20143.9
Aug90° / 73°3.18.9013.34.1
Sep85° / 66°3.46.5012.25.9
Oct74° / 55°4.37.6011.17.4
Nov63° / 44°4.08.9010.25.7
Dec54° / 38°5.3100.29.83.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
64951
74951
84951
94852
104951
114951
125050
135050
145050
155149
165248
175248
185248
195248
205248
215347
225347
235446
245446
255446
265347
275347
285446
295446
305446
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Clarksdale gets around 5.3 in of rain over 10.7 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 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
335
435
534
634
734
833
933
1033
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1933
2033
2134
2234
2335
2435
2535
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 38% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1412123131
2402123152
3382123162
4362223172
5342223192
6332223202
7322123212
8312123233
9302122243
10292022253
11292022263
12281922274
13281822284
14271821294
15271721305
16261621315
17261520326
18251520337
19241420348
20231419358
21221319379
222013193810
231912203911
241712204012
251511204013
261411204114
271211204115
281111204217
29910204218
30810204220
31710204122

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
47light breeze
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 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 48 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:19 AM to 4:57 AM, and sunset from 6:40 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:196:40
213.45:186:41
313.45:176:42
413.45:166:42
513.55:156:43
613.55:146:44
713.55:136:45
813.65:126:46
913.65:116:46
1013.65:106:47
1113.65:096:48
1213.75:086:49
1313.75:086:49
1413.75:076:50
1513.85:066:51
1613.85:056:52
1713.85:056:53
1813.85:046:53
1913.85:036:54
2013.95:026:55
2113.95:026:56
2213.95:016:56
2313.95:016:57
2414.05:006:58
2514.05:006:58
2614.04:596:59
2714.04:597:00
2814.04:587:00
2914.14:587:01
3014.14:577:02
3114.14:577:02

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.51 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Clarksdale?

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
6.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Clarksdale in May

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

In May, Clarksdale sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 63°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Clarksdale in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Clarksdale peaks around June 19 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 19UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Clarksdale 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 Clarksdale is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1419 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Clarksdale?

Clarksdale sits at 34.2°N, 90.6°W, 174 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greenwood, 52 mi away.

Topography around Clarksdale

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Clarksdale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 171 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 ft.

The land around Clarksdale is covered by trees (36%), cropland (27%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) and trees (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (52%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
141 ft
50 miles
535 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Greenwood 52 mi · Hernando 54 mi · Horn Lake 60 mi · Oxford 61 mi · Greenville 62 mi · Southaven 63 mi · Olive Branch 68 mi · New South Memphis 68 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 Clarksdale (34.2001°, -90.5709°, elevation 174 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).