Culpeper weather in May

In May, Culpeper sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 56°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 71°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Culpeper's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Culpeper's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
56°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:06 AM – 7:11 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Culpeper is town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States.

Density
926/km²
people per km²
Founded
1759

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 71°F in the first days to 79°F by the end.

A typical May day in Culpeper reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 56°F overnight — a 19°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 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17151
27152
37152
47252
57253
67253
77253
87353
97354
107354
117354
127354
137455
147455
157455
167455
177556
187556
197556
207657
217657
227657
237658
247758
257758
267859
277859
287859
297960
307960
317960

How May really feels in Culpeper

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.

Culpeper 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
Jan44° / 28°3.08.22.89.60.8
Feb47° / 29°2.78.12.710.51.7
Mar56° / 37°3.8101.711.73.8
Apr67° / 47°3.49.90.1136.1
May75° / 56°3.711.3014.16.5
Jun83° / 65°3.511.4014.65.5
Jul87° / 69°3.511.3014.44.5
Aug85° / 67°3.19.8013.55.1
Sep79° / 60°4.49.2012.36.8
Oct68° / 48°3.27.60116.7
Nov56° / 38°3.07.40.39.94.2
Dec47° / 32°3.38.51.89.41.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94456
104555
114555
124456
134357
144456
154456
164456
174456
184357
194357
204357
214258
224258
234258
244357
254357
264456
274555
284456
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Culpeper gets around 3.7 in of rain over 11.3 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 (%)
138
238
338
438
537
637
737
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1336
1436
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2035
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 55% 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 (%)
175141010
274141110
371151220
469161320
568171320
667171420
765181520
864181620
963181630
1061191730
1160191740
1259191840
1358191850
1459181850
1557181960
1656181970
1755182070
1854182080
1952182190
20511821100
21491822111
22471823121
23461823121
24451824131
25431824141
26421924141
27401924151
28392024152
29382024162
30362124172
31352124182

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
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
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 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:22 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:226:57
213.65:216:58
313.75:196:59
413.75:187:00
513.75:177:00
613.85:167:01
713.85:157:02
813.85:147:03
913.95:137:04
1013.95:117:05
1113.95:107:06
1214.05:097:07
1314.05:087:08
1414.05:087:09
1514.15:077:10
1614.15:067:11
1714.15:057:12
1814.15:047:13
1914.25:037:13
2014.25:027:14
2114.25:027:15
2214.35:017:16
2314.35:007:17
2414.35:007:18
2514.34:597:18
2614.44:587:19
2714.44:587:20
2814.44:577:21
2914.44:577:22
3014.44:567:22
3114.54:567:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Culpeper?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Culpeper for sightseeing.

What to pack for Culpeper in May

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

In May, Culpeper 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 Culpeper 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 Culpeper peaks around June 23 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 23UV 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 Culpeper 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 Culpeper is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Nov 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr15Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Culpeper?

Culpeper sits at 38.5°N, 78.0°W, 413 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Linton Hall, 30 mi away.

Topography around Culpeper

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Culpeper has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft around an average of 427 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,145 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,190 ft.

The land around Culpeper is covered by trees (39%) and grassland (39%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (72%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
279 ft
10 miles
1,145 ft
50 miles
4,190 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Linton Hall 30 mi · Fredericksburg 31 mi · Front Royal 32 mi · Manassas 34 mi · Sudley 35 mi · Buckhall 35 mi · Manassas Park 35 mi · Montclair 37 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 Culpeper (38.4732°, -77.9967°, elevation 413 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).