Florence weather in May

In May, Florence sees average daytime highs of 82°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 10 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 79°F in the first days to 85°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Florence's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Florence's year-round climate.

Daytime high
82°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
10 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:22 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
56%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Florence is county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States.

Density
679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1890

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 79°F in the first days to 85°F by the end.

A typical May day in Florence reaches about 82°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 73°F and 90°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17958
27958
37958
47959
58059
68059
78060
88060
98060
108160
118161
128161
138161
148262
158262
168262
178262
188263
198363
208363
218363
228364
238364
248464
258465
268465
278565
288566
298566
308566
318567

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 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 37°3.59.20.7103.9
Feb59° / 39°3.38.50.310.74.7
Mar67° / 45°3.59.30.211.76.3
Apr75° / 54°3.38.1012.87.2
May82° / 62°3.410013.86.2
Jun88° / 70°4.513.4014.24.1
Jul90° / 73°5.316.30143.3
Aug88° / 72°5.515.2013.33.8
Sep83° / 66°4.710.5012.25.7
Oct75° / 55°3.47.5011.17.4
Nov65° / 44°2.97.30.110.26.5
Dec58° / 39°3.78.50.29.84.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 47%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55743
65743
75743
85644
95743
105644
115545
125545
135545
145545
155446
165347
175347
185347
195248
205149
215149
225149
235149
245050
255050
265050
275149
285050
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Florence gets around 3.4 in of rain over 10 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 32% 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
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1932
2032
2133
2234
2334
2435
2536
2636
2737
2838
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 26% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1512217100
2502218100
3482119111
4472120111
5452022121
6442023121
7422024131
8412025131
9402026141
10381927141
11371928152
12361928162
13341829172
14331829182
15321829192
16311729203
17311728213
18301628233
19291627244
20281627254
21271526265
22251526286
23241526297
24231525308
25211425319
262014253210
271814243311
281714243412
291613243413
301413233515
311313233516

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
37light breeze
47light breeze
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
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 h 06 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 5:36 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:366:57
213.45:356:58
313.45:346:58
413.45:336:59
513.55:327:00
613.55:317:01
713.55:307:02
813.65:297:02
913.65:287:03
1013.65:277:04
1113.65:267:05
1213.75:257:05
1313.75:247:06
1413.75:247:07
1513.75:237:08
1613.85:227:09
1713.85:217:09
1813.85:217:10
1913.85:207:11
2013.95:197:12
2113.95:197:12
2213.95:187:13
2313.95:177:14
2414.05:177:14
2514.05:167:15
2614.05:167:16
2714.05:157:17
2814.05:157:17
2914.15:147:18
3014.15:147:19
3114.15:147:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.1 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
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

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).

6.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
1st-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 82°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain 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 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 14UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

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 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Florence?

Florence sits at 34.2°N, 79.8°W, 138 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sumter, 38 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 151 ft around an average of 144 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 633 ft.

The land around Florence is covered by trees (62%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (70%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
236 ft
50 miles
633 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sumter 38 mi · Laurinburg 43 mi · Conway 48 mi · Lumberton 52 mi · Socastee 57 mi · Myrtle Beach 61 mi · North Myrtle Beach 67 mi · Monroe 71 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 (34.1954°, -79.7626°, elevation 138 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).