Fayetteville weather in May

In May, Fayetteville sees average daytime highs of 81°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Fayetteville's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fayetteville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
81°
5th warmest
Overnight low
61°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:42 AM – 7:26 PM
Cloud cover
56%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Fayetteville is county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States.

Density
593/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end.

A typical May day in Fayetteville reaches about 81°F in the afternoon and slips back to 61°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 88°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)
17756
27756
37857
47857
57858
67858
77958
87958
97959
107959
118059
128060
138060
148060
158161
168161
178161
188162
198262
208262
218263
228263
238263
248364
258364
268364
278365
288365
298465
308465
318466

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 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 35°4.010.10.6103.2
Feb58° / 38°4.39.60.310.84.2
Mar65° / 45°4.310.10.111.76.0
Apr73° / 52°3.28.5012.87.0
May81° / 61°2.99.4013.76.4
Jun86° / 69°3.714014.24.4
Jul89° / 72°4.215.50143.7
Aug88° / 71°3.813.2013.24.1
Sep83° / 65°3.68.7012.26.1
Oct74° / 53°2.86.7011.27.5
Nov64° / 43°3.77.9010.36.1
Dec56° / 38°4.1100.29.83.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 48%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35149
45248
55248
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125248
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215248
225248
235248
245149
255149
265149
275050
284951
294951
304951
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Fayetteville gets around 2.9 in of rain over 9.4 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 31% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
629
729
829
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2130
2231
2331
2432
2533
2634
2735
2837
2938
3039
3139

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 32% 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 (%)
152241860
251241870
349241980
447252080
546252090
6442521100
7432521110
8412522120
9402423130
10392423140
11382424140
12362425150
13352425160
14342326160
15332327170
16322227181
17312228181
18302228191
19292129201
20282129202
21272130212
22252030222
23242031233
24222031233
25212031243
26192031254
27182031274
28162031285
29152031295
30142031306
31131930326

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
56calm
66calm
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 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 5:56 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 7:14 PM to 7:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:567:14
213.35:557:15
313.45:547:16
413.45:537:17
513.45:527:17
613.55:517:18
713.55:507:19
813.55:497:20
913.55:487:21
1013.65:477:21
1113.65:467:22
1213.65:457:23
1313.65:457:24
1413.75:447:24
1513.75:437:25
1613.75:427:26
1713.75:427:27
1813.85:417:27
1913.85:407:28
2013.85:407:29
2113.85:397:29
2213.95:387:30
2313.95:387:31
2413.95:377:32
2513.95:377:32
2613.95:367:33
2714.05:367:34
2814.05:357:34
2914.05:357:35
3014.05:357:36
3114.05:347:36

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.12 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
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
6.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

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 81°F and nights near 61°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville 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 3 (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 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very 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 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1620 µg/m³Jan 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fayetteville?

Fayetteville sits at 33.4°N, 84.5°W, 938 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Peachtree City, 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 197 ft around an average of 902 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,358 ft.

The land around Fayetteville is covered by trees (66%) within 2 miles, trees (73%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
197 ft
10 miles
518 ft
50 miles
1,358 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Peachtree City 8.7 mi · Riverdale 8.7 mi · Union City 11 mi · Forest Park 13 mi · Stockbridge 14 mi · East Point 16 mi · South Fulton 16 mi · McDonough 18 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 (33.4487°, -84.4549°, elevation 938 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).