Gastonia weather in May

In May, Gastonia sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Gastonia's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gastonia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:26 AM – 7:16 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Gastonia is city in North Carolina, United States.

Density
555/km²
people per km²
Founded
1877

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 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Gastonia reaches about 79°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 69°F and 88°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)
17555
27555
37656
47656
57656
67657
77757
87757
97758
107758
117858
127858
137858
147859
157959
167959
177960
187960
198060
208060
218061
228061
238162
248162
258162
268262
278263
288263
298264
308364
318364

How May really feels in Gastonia

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.

Gastonia weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 33°3.99.71.29.92.6
Feb55° / 36°3.58.5110.73.5
Mar62° / 42°4.5100.411.75.5
Apr71° / 51°3.88.9012.96.8
May79° / 60°3.110.9013.86.5
Jun86° / 67°4.012.9014.34.7
Jul89° / 71°4.115.1014.13.8
Aug87° / 70°4.012.5013.34.6
Sep81° / 64°3.89.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 52°3.46.8011.17.3
Nov61° / 41°3.57.80.110.15.5
Dec53° / 36°4.09.10.69.73.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25545
35545
45545
55545
65545
75545
85545
95545
105446
115347
125347
135347
145248
155248
165248
175149
185149
195149
205050
215050
225050
234951
244951
254951
264852
274951
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gastonia gets around 3.1 in of rain over 10.9 wet days in May, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 35% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
433
533
633
733
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1534
1634
1734
1835
1935
2036
2137
2237
2337
2438
2538
2638
2738
2839
2939
3039
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 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
162201440
260211540
358211650
456221750
554231850
652231960
750242060
848242160
946252270
1045262270
1143262380
1242262390
13402723100
14392724100
15382724110
16372624120
17362624130
18352625140
19342525161
20332525171
21322525181
22312424191
23302424202
24282424212
25272424232
26262424242
27242324263
28232324273
29222323293
30212223303
31202223324

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
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
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 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 5:40 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:407:04
213.45:397:05
313.55:387:06
413.55:377:07
513.55:367:07
613.65:347:08
713.65:347:09
813.65:337:10
913.75:327:11
1013.75:317:12
1113.75:307:12
1213.75:297:13
1313.85:287:14
1413.85:277:15
1513.85:267:16
1613.85:267:16
1713.95:257:17
1813.95:247:18
1913.95:237:19
2013.95:237:20
2114.05:227:20
2214.05:217:21
2314.05:217:22
2414.05:207:23
2514.15:207:23
2614.15:197:24
2714.15:197:25
2814.15:187:25
2914.15:187:26
3014.25:177:27
3114.25:177:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Gastonia?

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

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

What to pack for Gastonia in May

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

In May, Gastonia sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 60°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Gastonia in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gastonia peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateJul 11UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Gastonia 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 Gastonia is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gastonia?

Gastonia sits at 35.3°N, 81.2°W, 804 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Charlotte, 19 mi away.

Topography around Gastonia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gastonia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft around an average of 791 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,056 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,723 ft.

The land around Gastonia is covered by trees (63%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (74%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
220 ft
10 miles
1,056 ft
50 miles
2,723 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Charlotte 19 mi · Shelby 20 mi · Huntersville 22 mi · Cornelius 24 mi · Rock Hill 25 mi · Matthews 28 mi · Stallings 30 mi · Mooresville 31 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 Gastonia (35.2621°, -81.1873°, elevation 804 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).