Greenwood weather in May

In May, Greenwood sees average daytime highs of 81°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Greenwood's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Greenwood's year-round climate.

Daytime high
81°
5th warmest
Overnight low
61°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:32 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
56%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Greenwood is city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States.

Density
553/km²
people per km²
Founded
1823

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 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end.

A typical May day in Greenwood reaches about 81°F in the afternoon and slips back to 61°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 89°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)
17757
27757
37857
47858
57858
67858
77959
87959
97959
107960
118060
128060
138060
148061
158161
168161
178162
188162
198162
208262
218263
228263
238263
248364
258364
268364
278365
288465
298465
308465
318466

How May really feels in Greenwood

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.

Greenwood weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 36°4.19.40.6103.4
Feb58° / 38°3.98.90.410.74.2
Mar65° / 44°4.49.60.211.76.1
Apr74° / 53°3.48.4012.87.1
May81° / 61°3.19.1013.86.5
Jun87° / 69°3.612.9014.24.4
Jul90° / 72°3.713.30143.5
Aug89° / 71°3.712.2013.34.0
Sep83° / 65°3.28.3012.26.0
Oct74° / 54°2.96.7011.17.5
Nov64° / 43°3.27.40.110.26.1
Dec56° / 38°4.19.10.39.83.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 47%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35545
45545
55545
65545
75545
85545
95545
105545
115545
125446
135446
145446
155446
165446
175545
185446
195446
205446
215347
225347
235347
245248
255248
265248
275149
285050
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Greenwood gets around 3.1 in of rain over 9.1 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 37% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
328
428
528
627
727
827
927
1027
1127
1227
1327
1427
1527
1627
1728
1828
1929
2029
2130
2231
2331
2432
2533
2633
2734
2835
2936
3036
3137

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 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
154231670
253231680
351231790
449231890
5472319100
6462320110
7442321110
8432322120
9422223120
10402224130
11392225141
12382126141
13362127151
14352028161
15342028171
16331929181
17321929182
18311829192
19301829202
20291829223
21271829233
22261829243
23241829254
24231829264
25211828275
26201928295
27181928306
28171927316
29151827327
30141826348
31131825359

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
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 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 5:45 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:457:06
213.45:447:07
313.45:437:08
413.45:427:09
513.55:417:10
613.55:407:10
713.55:397:11
813.65:387:12
913.65:377:13
1013.65:377:13
1113.65:367:14
1213.75:357:15
1313.75:347:16
1413.75:337:17
1513.75:327:17
1613.85:327:18
1713.85:317:19
1813.85:307:20
1913.85:307:20
2013.95:297:21
2113.95:287:22
2213.95:287:23
2313.95:277:23
2414.05:267:24
2514.05:267:25
2614.05:257:25
2714.05:257:26
2814.05:247:27
2914.15:247:28
3014.15:247:28
3114.15:237:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.16 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
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 Greenwood?

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
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Greenwood in May

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

In May, Greenwood sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 61°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Greenwood 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 Greenwood peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

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

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Jan 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Greenwood?

Greenwood sits at 34.2°N, 82.2°W, 663 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Anderson, 35 mi away.

Topography around Greenwood

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Greenwood has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 ft around an average of 630 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 545 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,522 ft.

The land around Greenwood is covered by trees (58%), artificial surfaces (21%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
174 ft
10 miles
545 ft
50 miles
1,522 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Anderson 35 mi · Simpsonville 38 mi · Mauldin 41 mi · Evans 46 mi · Martinez 47 mi · Greenville 47 mi · North Augusta 49 mi · Wade Hampton 50 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 Greenwood (34.1954°, -82.1618°, elevation 663 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).