Gainesville weather in May

In May, Gainesville sees average daytime highs of 86°F and overnight lows near 65°F, with 2.8 in of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 84°F in the first days to 88°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gainesville's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gainesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
86°
5th warmest
Overnight low
65°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.8 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:41 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
50%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Gainesville is city and county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States.

Density
899/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 84°F in the first days to 88°F by the end.

A typical May day in Gainesville reaches about 86°F in the afternoon and slips back to 65°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 80°F and 92°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 3°F cooler than June.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18462
28462
38462
48463
58563
68563
78563
88564
98564
108564
118664
128665
138665
148665
158665
168665
178766
188766
198766
208766
218767
228767
238767
248767
258768
268868
278868
288869
298869
308869
318869

How May really feels in Gainesville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 6 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
6
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Gainesville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan66° / 45°2.97.710.36.6
Feb69° / 48°2.56.910.96.9
Mar75° / 53°3.17.411.87.4
Apr80° / 58°2.26.612.77.0
May86° / 65°2.88.913.55.2
Jun89° / 72°5.318.613.93.3
Jul90° / 74°5.420.613.72.9
Aug90° / 74°5.821.413.12.9
Sep87° / 71°4.214.612.24.1
Oct81° / 63°2.27.711.36.7
Nov74° / 53°1.65.310.57.7
Dec68° / 48°2.46.710.16.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26337
36337
46337
56337
66337
76337
86337
96238
106238
116238
126238
136238
146238
156139
166238
176238
186238
196238
206238
216139
226139
236139
246040
256040
265842
275743
285644
295446
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gainesville gets around 2.8 in of rain over 8.9 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 30% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
321
421
521
622
722
822
923
1023
1124
1224
1325
1426
1527
1628
1729
1830
1930
2031
2132
2233
2335
2436
2537
2639
2740
2842
2944
3045
3147

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 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 45% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12524262330
22424262330
32324262430
42224262530
52123262640
62023272640
71923272740
81823282840
91722282940
101622292950
111521293050
121420293150
131319303260
141218303360
151217303470
161117303570
171016303680
18915303790
199143038100
208142938110
217132939120
227122840130
236122741150
245112641160
255102542180
264102442200
27392342220
28382242250
29272142271
30271942301
31161841331

Wind in May

Winds average 6 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
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of May to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:537:00
213.25:527:01
313.25:517:02
413.25:507:02
513.25:497:03
613.35:487:04
713.35:477:04
813.35:477:05
913.35:467:06
1013.45:457:06
1113.45:447:07
1213.45:447:07
1313.45:437:08
1413.45:427:09
1513.55:427:09
1613.55:417:10
1713.55:407:11
1813.55:407:11
1913.55:397:12
2013.65:397:13
2113.65:387:13
2213.65:387:14
2313.65:377:14
2413.65:377:15
2513.75:367:16
2613.75:367:16
2713.75:367:17
2813.75:357:17
2913.75:357:18
3013.75:357:19
3113.75:347:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.3 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.3 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Gainesville

In seasonPeak

In May, Gainesville sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Gainesville's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Gainesville?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gainesville in May

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

In May, Gainesville sees daytime highs around 86°F and nights near 65°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Gainesville in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gainesville peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Gainesville 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 Gainesville is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Dec 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gainesville?

Gainesville sits at 29.7°N, 82.3°W, 177 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ocala, 34 mi away.

Topography around Gainesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gainesville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 164 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft.

The land around Gainesville is covered by trees (66%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (77%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
223 ft
50 miles
299 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Ocala 34 mi · Marion Oaks 45 mi · Oakleaf Plantation 47 mi · Lakeside 47 mi · Fleming Island 47 mi · Fruit Cove 52 mi · The Villages 54 mi · St. Johns 55 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 Gainesville (29.6516°, -82.3248°, elevation 177 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).