Greenville weather in May

In May, Greenville sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-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 Greenville's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Greenville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
10.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:10 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Greenville is city in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
978/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 Greenville 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 68°F and 88°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)
17556
27556
37656
47657
57657
67657
77658
87758
97758
107758
117759
127859
137859
147859
157860
167860
177960
187960
197961
207961
218061
228062
238062
248062
258162
268163
278163
288264
298264
308264
318264

How May really feels in Greenville

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.

Greenville weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 35°3.79.119.93.2
Feb56° / 37°3.19.10.810.73.9
Mar63° / 43°3.69.80.211.75.6
Apr72° / 51°3.28.6012.96.9
May79° / 60°3.710.7013.96.6
Jun85° / 68°4.513.7014.44.8
Jul88° / 72°5.316.9014.23.8
Aug86° / 71°5.414.4013.34.4
Sep81° / 65°5.211.5012.26.0
Oct73° / 54°3.57.4011.17.2
Nov64° / 44°3.57.7010.16.1
Dec56° / 38°3.69.20.39.64.0

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 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25149
35149
45149
55149
65149
75050
85149
95149
105149
115050
125149
135149
145149
155149
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
214951
225050
234951
244951
254852
264951
274951
284852
294852
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Greenville gets around 3.7 in of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
432
532
632
732
833
933
1034
1134
1235
1335
1435
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2636
2737
2837
2937
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 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 26% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1532115101
2512116111
3512116111
4492017121
5482018131
6472018141
7452019151
8442020161
9432020161
10412021171
11402021181
12392022191
13381922201
14371922202
15361922212
16351922222
17341823232
18321823242
19311823252
20301823263
21281823273
22271824284
23251724295
24241724305
25221724316
26211724317
27191724328
28181624339
291716243310
301516243312
311415243413

Wind in May

Winds average 7 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
17light breeze
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
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 5:24 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:246:49
213.55:236:50
313.55:226:51
413.55:216:52
513.65:206:53
613.65:196:54
713.65:186:54
813.65:176:55
913.75:166:56
1013.75:156:57
1113.75:146:58
1213.85:136:59
1313.85:126:59
1413.85:117:00
1513.85:107:01
1613.95:107:02
1713.95:097:03
1813.95:087:04
1914.05:077:04
2014.05:077:05
2114.05:067:06
2214.05:057:07
2314.05:057:07
2414.15:047:08
2514.15:037:09
2614.15:037:10
2714.15:027:10
2814.25:027:11
2914.25:017:12
3014.25:017:12
3114.25:017:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.01 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
85.9Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
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 Greenville?

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
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Greenville in May

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

In May, Greenville 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 Greenville 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 Greenville peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 12UV 9Dec 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Greenville 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 Greenville is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2318 µg/m³Dec 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb12Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Greenville?

Greenville sits at 35.6°N, 77.4°W, 59 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kinston, 27 mi away.

Topography around Greenville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Greenville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 49 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 531 ft.

The land around Greenville is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (63%) and cropland (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
190 ft
50 miles
531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kinston 27 mi · Wilson 32 mi · Rocky Mount 33 mi · Goldsboro 39 mi · New Bern 39 mi · Havelock 57 mi · Jacksonville 60 mi · Roanoke Rapids 61 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 Greenville (35.6127°, -77.3663°, elevation 59 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).