Gadsden weather in May

In May, Gadsden sees average daytime highs of 80°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.9 in of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

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

Daytime high
80°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.9 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:47 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
56%
5th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Gadsden is city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama.

Density
362/km²
people per km²
Founded
1867

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 Gadsden reaches about 80°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 71°F and 87°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)
17656
27656
37656
47756
57757
67757
77858
87858
97858
107858
117959
127959
137960
148060
158060
168060
178061
188061
198162
208162
218162
228262
238263
248263
258264
268264
278364
288364
298365
308365
318365

How May really feels in Gadsden

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.

Gadsden 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
Jan52° / 35°5.0100.6102.9
Feb57° / 38°4.910.40.510.73.8
Mar64° / 44°5.411.10.111.75.7
Apr73° / 52°4.59.7012.86.8
May80° / 60°3.910.4013.76.5
Jun86° / 68°3.912.7014.24.6
Jul89° / 72°4.214.20143.9
Aug88° / 71°3.412.1013.34.2
Sep83° / 64°3.58.2012.26.0
Oct74° / 53°3.27.1011.17.4
Nov63° / 42°4.28.20.110.25.8
Dec55° / 37°5.210.70.29.83.4

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 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45248
55248
65248
75248
85248
95149
105248
115248
125248
135248
145248
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205248
215149
225149
235149
245050
254951
265050
274951
284951
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gadsden gets around 3.9 in of rain over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
433
533
633
733
833
933
1033
1133
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2033
2133
2233
2334
2434
2535
2636
2736
2837
2937
3038
3138

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 26% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 28% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
146242370
244252380
342252490
4402525100
5382526110
6372526120
7352526140
8342526150
9322526170
10312526180
11302526200
12292525210
13282425230
14272425240
15262325260
16252324270
17252224290
18242224301
19232124311
20222124331
21212024342
22192024352
23181924363
24171924373
25151825384
26141825385
27131825395
28111725406
29101725417
3091725418
3181625429

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:01 AM to 4:39 AM, and sunset from 6:21 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:016:21
213.45:006:22
313.44:596:23
413.44:586:24
513.54:576:25
613.54:566:25
713.54:556:26
813.54:546:27
913.64:536:28
1013.64:526:29
1113.64:516:29
1213.74:516:30
1313.74:506:31
1413.74:496:32
1513.74:486:32
1613.84:476:33
1713.84:476:34
1813.84:466:35
1913.84:456:35
2013.94:456:36
2113.94:446:37
2213.94:436:38
2313.94:436:38
2413.94:426:39
2514.04:426:40
2614.04:416:40
2714.04:416:41
2814.04:406:42
2914.04:406:42
3014.14:396:43
3114.14:396:44

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 — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
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
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gadsden

In seasonPeak

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

Gadsden 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 Gadsden?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gadsden in May

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

In May, Gadsden sees daytime highs around 80°F and nights near 60°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Gadsden 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 Gadsden peaks around June 22 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 highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Gadsden 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 Gadsden is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1720 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gadsden?

Gadsden sits at 34.0°N, 86.0°W, 548 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Albertville, 21 mi away.

Topography around Gadsden

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gadsden has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft around an average of 597 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,027 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,142 ft.

The land around Gadsden is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (73%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
604 ft
10 miles
1,027 ft
50 miles
2,142 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Albertville 21 mi · Anniston 27 mi · Oxford 29 mi · Talladega 40 mi · Dixiana 42 mi · Trussville 44 mi · Center Point 47 mi · Cullman 49 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 Gadsden (34.0143°, -86.0064°, 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).