Fayetteville weather in May

In May, Fayetteville sees average daytime highs of 75°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 5.6 in of rain across 12.9 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 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 Fayetteville's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fayetteville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
75°
5th warmest
Overnight low
58°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.6 in
12.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:16 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
59%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Fayetteville is county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
579/km²
people per km²
Founded
1828

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 Fayetteville reaches about 75°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 66°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17153
27153
37154
47254
57255
67255
77355
87355
97356
107456
117456
127457
137457
147557
157558
167558
177658
187659
197659
207660
217760
227760
237760
247861
257861
267862
277862
287962
297962
307963
318063

How May really feels in Fayetteville

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.

Fayetteville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 29°2.77.61.79.81.4
Feb51° / 33°2.77.61.510.62.6
Mar60° / 40°4.410.6111.74.7
Apr68° / 49°5.511.1012.96.1
May75° / 58°5.612.9013.96.4
Jun83° / 67°4.110.9014.45.6
Jul88° / 70°3.310.4014.24.5
Aug87° / 69°3.09.6013.44.8
Sep81° / 61°3.87.8012.26.8
Oct70° / 50°4.19011.16.9
Nov58° / 40°3.77.90.410.14.5
Dec48° / 32°3.07.61.49.62.0

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34555
44555
54555
64555
74555
84456
94555
104654
114654
124753
134753
144753
154753
164654
174753
184753
194753
204654
214654
224654
234555
244555
254753
264654
274654
284654
294555
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Fayetteville gets around 5.6 in of rain over 12.9 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1541
1642
1742
1842
1942
2042
2142
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3141

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 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
160201640
258201750
356201860
453211970
552212070
650212180
748212290
847212390
9452124100
10442025110
11432025110
12422026120
13402027130
14391928140
15381928150
16371829160
17351829170
18341730190
19321730210
20301731220
21291631240
22271731251
23251731271
24231731291
25211730301
26191730321
27181830341
28161829352
29151829372
30141828382
31131828393

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
137light breeze
147light breeze
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:30 AM to 5:07 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:306:57
213.55:296:58
313.55:286:59
413.55:277:00
513.65:267:01
613.65:257:02
713.65:247:02
813.75:237:03
913.75:227:04
1013.75:217:05
1113.85:207:06
1213.85:197:07
1313.85:187:08
1413.85:177:08
1513.95:177:09
1613.95:167:10
1713.95:157:11
1814.05:147:12
1914.05:137:12
2014.05:137:13
2114.05:127:14
2214.15:117:15
2314.15:117:16
2414.15:107:16
2514.15:107:17
2614.15:097:18
2714.25:087:19
2814.25:087:19
2914.25:077:20
3014.25:077:21
3114.25:077:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Fayetteville?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Fayetteville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fayetteville in May

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

In May, Fayetteville sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 58°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Nov 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fayetteville?

Fayetteville sits at 36.1°N, 94.2°W, 1,401 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Springdale, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Fayetteville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fayetteville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 ft around an average of 1,355 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,135 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,218 ft.

The land around Fayetteville is covered by trees (58%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and grassland (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
564 ft
10 miles
1,135 ft
50 miles
2,218 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Springdale 8.7 mi · Rogers 19 mi · Bentonville 22 mi · Siloam Springs 23 mi · Bella Vista 30 mi · Van Buren 45 mi · Tahlequah 47 mi · Fort Smith 48 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 Fayetteville (36.0626°, -94.1574°, elevation 1,401 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).