Fort Smith weather in May

In May, Fort Smith sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 5.8 in of rain across 12.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Fort Smith's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Smith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.8 in
12.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:18 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
58%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Fort Smith is city in and county seat of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
500/km²
people per km²
Founded
1817

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 74°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Fort Smith reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 69°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17455
27455
37456
47556
57556
67557
77657
87657
97658
107658
117758
127759
137759
147859
157860
167860
177860
187961
197961
207962
218062
228062
238062
248063
258163
268164
278164
288264
298264
308265
318265

How May really feels in Fort Smith

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.

Fort Smith weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 31°3.38.91.19.92.1
Feb54° / 35°3.38.40.910.73.3
Mar62° / 43°4.911.30.711.75.3
Apr71° / 51°5.911.3012.96.4
May78° / 60°5.812.9013.86.3
Jun86° / 69°3.610.4014.34.9
Jul91° / 72°3.18.8014.13.8
Aug91° / 71°2.58.3013.34.0
Sep83° / 64°3.77.4012.26.2
Oct73° / 52°4.29011.17.1
Nov60° / 42°4.38.70.210.15.2
Dec51° / 34°3.88.90.99.72.6

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 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44654
54654
64654
74654
84654
94654
104753
114852
124951
134951
144951
154951
165050
174951
184951
194852
204852
214852
224951
234852
244852
254753
264852
274753
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Fort Smith gets around 5.8 in of rain over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
542
642
742
842
942
1042
1142
1242
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
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 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 30% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153192080
251192190
3491922100
4471922110
5452023121
6432023141
7412024151
8392024161
9382024171
10372024191
11351925201
12341925211
13331925221
14321825231
15311725251
16301725262
17291625282
18271625302
19261625312
20241525333
21231525353
22211524363
23191524384
24171524394
25151524415
26141524425
27121524436
28111524447
2991423467
3081423468
3171422479

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
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
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 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 5:32 AM to 5:09 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)
113.45:326:57
213.45:316:58
313.55:306:59
413.55:297:00
513.55:287:00
613.65:277:01
713.65:267:02
813.65:257:03
913.75:247:04
1013.75:237:05
1113.75:227:05
1213.75:217:06
1313.85:217:07
1413.85:207:08
1513.85:197:09
1613.95:187:10
1713.95:177:10
1813.95:177:11
1913.95:167:12
2014.05:157:13
2114.05:157:13
2214.05:147:14
2314.05:137:15
2414.15:137:16
2514.15:127:16
2614.15:127:17
2714.15:117:18
2814.15:117:19
2914.25:107:19
3014.25:107:20
3114.25:097:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Fort Smith?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Fort Smith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fort Smith in May

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

In May, Fort Smith sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Dec 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Smith?

Fort Smith sits at 35.4°N, 94.4°W, 440 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Van Buren, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Fort Smith

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Smith has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 ft around an average of 472 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 745 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,411 ft.

The land around Fort Smith is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and grassland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
256 ft
10 miles
745 ft
50 miles
2,411 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Van Buren 4.3 mi · Tahlequah 48 mi · Fayetteville 48 mi · Siloam Springs 56 mi · Springdale 57 mi · Muskogee 60 mi · Rogers 67 mi · Bentonville 69 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 Fort Smith (35.3859°, -94.3986°, elevation 440 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).