Cleveland weather in May

In May, Cleveland sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.8 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cleveland's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cleveland's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.8 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:41 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
58%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Cleveland is county seat of Bradley County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
630/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Cleveland 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 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°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
137859
147859
157859
167860
177960
187960
197961
207961
218061
228062
238062
248062
258163
268163
278163
288264
298264
308264
318265

How May really feels in Cleveland

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.

Cleveland weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 34°4.610.11.29.92.1
Feb54° / 36°4.310.10.910.73.1
Mar62° / 42°5.011.40.211.75.1
Apr71° / 51°4.610012.96.5
May78° / 60°3.810.8013.86.6
Jun85° / 68°3.312.1014.35.0
Jul88° / 71°4.112.7014.14.2
Aug87° / 70°3.210.9013.34.6
Sep82° / 64°3.78.2012.26.3
Oct72° / 52°3.27.1011.17.3
Nov60° / 42°4.08.7010.25.2
Dec52° / 37°5.010.10.39.72.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34951
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
95050
104951
114852
124852
134951
145050
155050
165050
174951
184951
194951
204951
214852
224852
234951
244852
254951
264852
274852
284852
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cleveland gets around 3.8 in of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
635
735
835
934
1034
1134
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1934
2034
2135
2235
2336
2436
2536
2637
2737
2837
2938
3038
3138

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 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
151252130
249252330
346252440
444252650
542252760
640252870
739252880
8372429100
9362429110
10352430120
11332330140
12322330150
13312230160
14312130180
15302131190
16292031200
17282031210
18281930220
19271930241
20261930251
21241830261
22231830282
23221830292
24201830303
25191830313
26171829323
27161829344
28141829354
29131828365
30121727385
31111727396

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
45calm
55calm
65calm
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 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 12 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 5:55 AM to 5:32 AM, and sunset from 7:19 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:557:19
213.45:547:20
313.55:537:20
413.55:517:21
513.55:507:22
613.65:497:23
713.65:487:24
813.65:477:25
913.65:477:25
1013.75:467:26
1113.75:457:27
1213.75:447:28
1313.85:437:29
1413.85:427:29
1513.85:417:30
1613.85:417:31
1713.95:407:32
1813.95:397:33
1913.95:387:33
2013.95:387:34
2114.05:377:35
2214.05:367:36
2314.05:367:36
2414.05:357:37
2514.15:357:38
2614.15:347:39
2714.15:347:39
2814.15:337:40
2914.15:337:41
3014.25:327:41
3114.25:327:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.95 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
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 Cleveland?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Cleveland in May

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

In May, Cleveland sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Cleveland 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 Cleveland peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Cleveland 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 Cleveland is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 16 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cleveland?

Cleveland sits at 35.2°N, 84.9°W, 869 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Brainerd, 19 mi away.

Topography around Cleveland

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cleveland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 ft around an average of 902 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 827 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,925 ft.

The land around Cleveland is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (63%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
453 ft
10 miles
827 ft
50 miles
4,925 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: East Brainerd 19 mi · East Chattanooga 22 mi · East Ridge 24 mi · Chattanooga 25 mi · Dalton 27 mi · Calhoun 45 mi · Rome 65 mi · Farragut 65 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 Cleveland (35.1595°, -84.8766°, elevation 869 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).