Goldsboro weather in May

In May, Goldsboro sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-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 Goldsboro's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goldsboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
61°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:12 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Goldsboro is city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
491/km²
people per km²
Founded
1787

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 Goldsboro reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 61°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 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17657
27657
37657
47658
57658
67758
77758
87759
97759
107859
117859
127860
137860
147860
157960
167961
177961
187961
198062
208062
218062
228062
238163
248163
258163
268264
278264
288264
298265
308265
318365

How May really feels in Goldsboro

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.

Goldsboro 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 35°3.69.119.93.1
Feb56° / 37°3.18.50.910.73.8
Mar63° / 43°3.8100.311.75.6
Apr72° / 52°3.48.7012.96.9
May79° / 61°3.610.5013.86.6
Jun86° / 69°4.212.4014.34.8
Jul89° / 73°4.815.5014.13.8
Aug87° / 71°4.912.9013.34.4
Sep82° / 65°5.210.4012.26.2
Oct73° / 54°3.47.4011.17.2
Nov63° / 44°3.37.7010.16.0
Dec56° / 38°3.69.20.49.73.8

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

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85149
95149
105050
115149
125149
135149
145248
155248
165248
175248
185248
195149
205248
215248
225248
235248
245149
255149
265149
275050
285149
295149
305050
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Goldsboro gets around 3.6 in of rain over 10.5 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 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
331
431
531
631
731
832
932
1033
1133
1233
1334
1434
1534
1635
1735
1835
1936
2036
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 23% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
157211390
2552114100
3542115100
4522116110
5502117120
6492117120
7482118130
8462119130
9452120130
10432121140
11422122151
12412123151
13402023161
14382024171
15372024181
16361925191
17351925201
18341825212
19331825222
20311826232
21301826243
22281826253
23261826264
24251825275
25231826295
26211825306
27201725316
28181725327
29171725338
30161725339
311517243410

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
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
87light breeze
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
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 5:27 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 6:52 PM to 7:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:276:52
213.45:266:52
313.55:256:53
413.55:246:54
513.55:236:55
613.65:226:56
713.65:216:57
813.65:206:57
913.75:196:58
1013.75:186:59
1113.75:177:00
1213.75:167:01
1313.85:157:02
1413.85:147:02
1513.85:137:03
1613.95:127:04
1713.95:127:05
1813.95:117:06
1913.95:107:06
2014.05:107:07
2114.05:097:08
2214.05:087:09
2314.05:087:09
2414.15:077:10
2514.15:067:11
2614.15:067:12
2714.15:057:12
2814.15:057:13
2914.25:057:14
3014.25:047:14
3114.25:047:15

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 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 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
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
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 Goldsboro?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Goldsboro in May

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

In May, Goldsboro sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 61°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Goldsboro 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 Goldsboro peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 13UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Goldsboro 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 Goldsboro is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Dec 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Goldsboro?

Goldsboro sits at 35.4°N, 78.0°W, 108 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilson, 24 mi away.

Topography around Goldsboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Goldsboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 663 ft.

The land around Goldsboro is covered by trees (49%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (63%) and cropland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
203 ft
50 miles
663 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Wilson 24 mi · Kinston 25 mi · Clayton 32 mi · Greenville 39 mi · Rocky Mount 40 mi · Garner 42 mi · Raleigh 45 mi · West Raleigh 47 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 Goldsboro (35.3849°, -77.9928°, elevation 108 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).