Florence weather in May

In May, Florence sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 11.1 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 Florence's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Florence's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
61°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:52 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Florence is city and county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States.

Density
587/km²
people per km²
Founded
1826

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 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in Florence reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 61°F overnight — a 18°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)
17556
27656
37657
47657
57657
67758
77758
87758
97859
107859
117859
127860
137960
147960
157961
168061
178061
188062
198062
208162
218163
228163
238163
248264
258264
268264
278265
288365
298365
308366
318366

How May really feels in Florence

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.

Florence 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 34°4.89.90.79.92.4
Feb55° / 37°4.810.20.910.73.4
Mar63° / 44°5.211.50.311.75.4
Apr72° / 52°4.910.5012.86.6
May79° / 61°4.711.1013.86.4
Jun87° / 69°4.012014.34.7
Jul89° / 72°4.112.8014.13.9
Aug89° / 71°3.410.3013.34.2
Sep84° / 64°3.57.5012.26.1
Oct73° / 52°3.67.6011.17.3
Nov61° / 42°3.88.60.110.25.4
Dec53° / 36°5.210.30.49.73.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
125149
135248
145248
155248
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215248
225248
235248
245248
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Florence gets around 4.7 in of rain over 11.1 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
537
637
737
837
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1435
1535
1635
1734
1834
1934
2034
2135
2235
2335
2435
2536
2636
2736
2837
2937
3038
3138

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 28% 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 (%)
147252081
245252181
344252291
4422523101
5402523111
6382524121
7372524131
8362425141
9342425151
10332426171
11322326181
12312326191
13302226201
14292226221
15292126231
16282126241
17272026261
18271925271
19261925292
20251825302
21231825323
22221725333
23211725344
24191625354
25181625365
26161625376
27151525387
28131525398
29121525409
301114254010
311014244111

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:06 AM to 4:44 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:066:29
213.45:056:30
313.45:046:31
413.55:036:32
513.55:026:33
613.55:016:33
713.65:006:34
813.64:596:35
913.64:586:36
1013.74:576:37
1113.74:576:37
1213.74:566:38
1313.74:556:39
1413.84:546:40
1513.84:536:41
1613.84:526:41
1713.84:526:42
1813.94:516:43
1913.94:506:44
2013.94:506:45
2113.94:496:45
2214.04:486:46
2314.04:486:47
2414.04:476:48
2514.04:476:48
2614.04:466:49
2714.14:466:50
2814.14:456:50
2914.14:456:51
3014.14:446:52
3114.14:446:52

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
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
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Florence

In seasonPeak

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

Florence 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 Florence?

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

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

What to pack for Florence in May

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

In May, Florence sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 61°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Florence 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 Florence 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
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Florence 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 Florence 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 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Florence?

Florence sits at 34.8°N, 87.7°W, 548 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Florence, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Florence

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Florence has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 262 ft around an average of 522 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 541 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 850 ft.

The land around Florence is covered by trees (57%) within 2 miles, trees (43%), grassland (25%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
262 ft
10 miles
541 ft
50 miles
850 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: East Florence 1.9 mi · Athens 40 mi · Decatur 42 mi · Madison 53 mi · Huntsville 62 mi · Cullman 64 mi · Columbia 67 mi · Tupelo 70 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 Florence (34.7998°, -87.6773°, elevation 548 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).