Greensboro weather in May

In May, Greensboro sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Greensboro's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Greensboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:18 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Greensboro is city in North Carolina, United States of America.

Density
836/km²
people per km²
Founded
1808

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 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Greensboro reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 67°F and 87°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)
17454
27455
37455
47555
57555
67556
77556
87656
97656
107657
117657
127757
137758
147758
157758
167858
177859
187859
197859
207960
217960
227960
238061
248061
258061
268062
278162
288162
298163
308163
318263

How May really feels in Greensboro

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.

Greensboro weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 32°3.79.31.59.82.2
Feb53° / 35°3.28.81.510.63.0
Mar61° / 41°4.310.20.711.75.0
Apr70° / 50°3.59.3012.96.6
May78° / 59°3.511.2013.96.5
Jun85° / 67°3.913014.44.9
Jul88° / 71°4.014.6014.24.0
Aug86° / 69°3.812013.44.7
Sep80° / 63°4.19.7012.26.5
Oct70° / 51°3.17.3011.17.1
Nov60° / 41°3.37.70.110.15.2
Dec52° / 35°3.68.90.79.62.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
114951
124852
134852
144852
154852
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214753
224654
234753
244753
254852
264753
274753
284753
294753
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Greensboro gets around 3.5 in of rain over 11.2 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
236
336
436
536
635
735
835
935
1036
1136
1236
1336
1436
1537
1637
1737
1837
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
3038
3139

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 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
167181230
264191340
363191440
460201640
559201740
656211850
755211950
853222050
951222160
1050232160
1149232270
1247232370
1346232380
1445222490
15442224100
16432225110
17422125120
18412125120
19402126131
20392026151
21372026161
22362026171
23342026182
24332026192
25322027202
26302027212
27282027222
28272027233
29252028243
30242028253
31232028273

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
96calm
106calm
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 5:33 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:337:00
213.55:327:01
313.55:317:02
413.55:307:02
513.65:297:03
613.65:277:04
713.65:267:05
813.75:257:06
913.75:247:07
1013.75:237:08
1113.85:237:08
1213.85:227:09
1313.85:217:10
1413.95:207:11
1513.95:197:12
1613.95:187:13
1713.95:177:13
1814.05:177:14
1914.05:167:15
2014.05:157:16
2114.05:157:17
2214.15:147:17
2314.15:137:18
2414.15:137:19
2514.15:127:20
2614.15:117:20
2714.25:117:21
2814.25:107:22
2914.25:107:23
3014.25:107:23
3114.25:097:24

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.92 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Greensboro?

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
6.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Greensboro for sightseeing.

What to pack for Greensboro in May

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

In May, Greensboro sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Greensboro 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 Greensboro peaks around July 14 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 14UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Greensboro 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 Greensboro is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Greensboro?

Greensboro sits at 36.1°N, 79.8°W, 873 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is High Point, 14 mi away.

Topography around Greensboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Greensboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft around an average of 807 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,051 ft.

The land around Greensboro is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (42%) within 2 miles, trees (66%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
197 ft
10 miles
584 ft
50 miles
3,051 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: High Point 14 mi · Kernersville 16 mi · Burlington 20 mi · Thomasville 21 mi · Asheboro 25 mi · Winston-Salem 25 mi · Eden 29 mi · Lexington 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 Greensboro (36.0726°, -79.792°, elevation 873 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).