Decatur weather in May

In May, Decatur sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 4.2 in of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Decatur's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Decatur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.2 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:50 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Decatur is city in Morgan and Limestone counties, Alabama, United States.

Density
354/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 76°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Decatur reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°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)
17557
27557
37657
47658
57658
67658
77759
87759
97759
107860
117860
127860
137861
147961
157961
167962
177962
188062
198063
208063
218063
228164
238164
248164
258165
268265
278265
288265
298266
308366
318366

How May really feels in Decatur

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.

Decatur weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 35°4.99.90.69.92.4
Feb55° / 38°4.710.40.610.73.4
Mar63° / 45°5.511.40.211.75.4
Apr71° / 53°5.010.1012.86.6
May79° / 62°4.210.9013.86.5
Jun86° / 69°4.312.6014.34.8
Jul88° / 72°4.213.1014.14.2
Aug88° / 71°3.111.5013.34.4
Sep83° / 65°3.57.7012.26.3
Oct73° / 53°3.47.4011.17.3
Nov61° / 43°4.08.50.110.25.4
Dec53° / 37°5.210.70.39.73.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55149
65149
75050
85050
95050
105149
115149
125149
135050
145149
155248
165248
175248
185248
195149
205248
215149
225149
235050
245149
255149
265050
275050
285050
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Decatur gets around 4.2 in of rain over 10.9 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 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2135
2235
2335
2436
2537
2637
2738
2839
2939
3040
3140

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 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 27% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
147242180
245252280
343252390
4412523100
5402524110
6382524120
7372525130
8352525150
9342525160
10332425170
11312426180
12302426190
13292326210
14282327220
15282227230
16272227241
17262127251
18252127271
19242026281
20232026292
21221926312
22211926322
23191826333
24181826344
25161826364
26151726375
27131726386
28121726397
29111625408
30101624419
31816244110

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 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 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:04 AM to 4:42 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:046:26
213.45:036:27
313.45:026:28
413.55:016:29
513.55:006:30
613.54:596:30
713.64:586:31
813.64:576:32
913.64:566:33
1013.64:556:34
1113.74:546:34
1213.74:536:35
1313.74:526:36
1413.84:526:37
1513.84:516:37
1613.84:506:38
1713.84:496:39
1813.94:496:40
1913.94:486:41
2013.94:476:41
2113.94:476:42
2213.94:466:43
2314.04:456:44
2414.04:456:44
2514.04:446:45
2614.04:446:46
2714.14:436:46
2814.14:436:47
2914.14:426:48
3014.14:426:48
3114.14:426:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.07 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
66.0Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Decatur

In seasonPeak

None of Decatur's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Decatur sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Decatur?

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
6.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Decatur in May

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

In May, Decatur sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 62°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Decatur 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 Decatur peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — 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 highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Decatur 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 Decatur is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Decatur?

Decatur sits at 34.6°N, 87.0°W, 561 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Athens, 14 mi away.

Topography around Decatur

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Decatur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 571 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,621 ft.

The land around Decatur is covered by trees (31%), water (30%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and cropland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (62%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
1,621 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Athens 14 mi · Madison 15 mi · Huntsville 24 mi · Cullman 31 mi · East Florence 40 mi · Florence 42 mi · Albertville 50 mi · Dixiana 63 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 Decatur (34.6059°, -86.9833°, elevation 561 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).