Columbus weather in May

In May, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 82°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 4.3 in of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 79°F in the first days to 86°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Columbus's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
82°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.3 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:58 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Columbus is county seat of Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 79°F in the first days to 86°F by the end.

A typical May day in Columbus reaches about 82°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 74°F and 90°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17857
27858
37958
47958
57959
68059
78059
88060
98160
108160
118161
128161
138261
148262
158262
168262
178363
188363
198363
208364
218464
228464
238465
248465
258565
268566
278566
288566
298667
308667
318667

How May really feels in Columbus

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.

Columbus 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 36°5.09.4103.4
Feb59° / 39°5.310.110.84.4
Mar67° / 46°5.310.911.76.1
Apr74° / 53°4.89.412.87.0
May82° / 62°4.310.113.76.0
Jun89° / 70°3.611.914.24.1
Jul91° / 73°4.013.7143.4
Aug91° / 72°3.510.913.23.6
Sep86° / 66°3.37.512.25.4
Oct76° / 54°3.56.911.27.5
Nov64° / 43°3.77.910.36.2
Dec56° / 38°5.110.49.83.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45248
55248
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125347
135347
145347
155545
165545
175545
185545
195545
205545
215545
225545
235545
245545
255545
265446
275446
285446
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Columbus gets around 4.3 in of rain over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
732
831
931
1031
1131
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1931
2032
2132
2233
2334
2434
2535
2636
2736
2837
2937
3038
3138

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 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 36% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1402025131
2392026141
3372027152
4361927162
5341927172
6331928182
7321927193
8311927203
9301927213
10291926223
11281926234
12271925254
13261925264
14251924275
15241924285
16241923295
17231923306
18221922316
19211822327
20201822337
21191821348
22181721368
23161721379
241516213810
251316213911
261215214012
271015214013
28914214115
29814214116
30713214118
31613214020

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
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 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:11 AM to 4:50 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:116:30
213.35:106:31
313.45:096:32
413.45:086:33
513.45:076:33
613.55:066:34
713.55:066:35
813.55:056:36
913.55:046:36
1013.65:036:37
1113.65:026:38
1213.65:016:39
1313.75:006:40
1413.75:006:40
1513.74:596:41
1613.74:586:42
1713.84:576:43
1813.84:576:43
1913.84:566:44
2013.84:556:45
2113.84:556:45
2213.94:546:46
2313.94:546:47
2413.94:536:48
2513.94:536:48
2613.94:526:49
2714.04:526:50
2814.04:516:50
2914.04:516:51
3014.04:506:52
3114.04:506:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Columbus?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Columbus in May

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

In May, Columbus sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Columbus 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 Columbus peaks around July 13 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 highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Columbus 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 Columbus is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1720 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 33.5°N, 88.4°W, 217 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Starkville, 23 mi away.

Topography around Columbus

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 180 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 784 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by trees (58%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
279 ft
50 miles
784 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Starkville 23 mi · Northport 52 mi · Tuscaloosa 53 mi · Tupelo 55 mi · Meridian 80 mi · Hueytown 83 mi · Bessemer 85 mi · Oxford 87 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 Columbus (33.4957°, -88.4273°, elevation 217 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).