Hickory weather in May

In May, Hickory sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-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 30% 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 Hickory's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hickory's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:25 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
58%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Hickory is city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
523/km²
people per km²
Founded
1870

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 Hickory reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 67°F and 86°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)
17353
27353
37453
47454
57454
67454
77555
87555
97555
107655
117656
127656
137656
147656
157757
167757
177757
187858
197858
207858
217858
227959
237959
247960
258060
268060
278061
288061
298161
308162
318162

How May really feels in Hickory

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.

Hickory weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 31°3.79.61.59.92.0
Feb53° / 34°3.491.510.63.0
Mar60° / 40°4.410.40.811.75.0
Apr70° / 49°3.99.1012.96.6
May77° / 57°3.410.8013.96.7
Jun84° / 65°3.613014.45.1
Jul88° / 69°3.514014.24.1
Aug86° / 68°3.712.5013.44.8
Sep80° / 62°3.89.6012.26.6
Oct70° / 50°3.57.2011.17.1
Nov59° / 39°3.47.6010.15.1
Dec51° / 34°3.88.80.79.62.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% 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 (%)
15248
25248
35248
45347
55347
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145248
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205149
215050
225050
234951
245050
254951
264951
274852
284951
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hickory gets around 3.4 in of rain over 10.8 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 41% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
433
533
633
732
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1333
1433
1533
1633
1734
1834
1935
2036
2136
2237
2338
2438
2539
2639
2739
2840
2940
3040
3141

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 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
166201220
264201420
361211530
459221630
558221730
655231840
754231940
852242040
950242150
1048242250
1147252360
1246252460
1344252470
1443242580
1542242580
1641242690
17402426100
18392326110
19382327121
20372227131
21362227141
22342227151
23332228162
24322228172
25302228182
26292228192
27272229202
28262229222
29242129232
30232129242
31222129262

Wind in May

Winds average 5 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
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
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 5:16 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 7:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:407:05
213.55:397:06
313.55:377:07
413.55:367:08
513.65:357:09
613.65:347:10
713.65:337:11
813.75:327:11
913.75:317:12
1013.75:307:13
1113.75:297:14
1213.85:297:15
1313.85:287:16
1413.85:277:16
1513.95:267:17
1613.95:257:18
1713.95:247:19
1813.95:247:20
1914.05:237:20
2014.05:227:21
2114.05:227:22
2214.05:217:23
2314.15:207:24
2414.15:207:24
2514.15:197:25
2614.15:197:26
2714.15:187:27
2814.25:187:27
2914.25:177:28
3014.25:177:29
3114.25:167:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.94 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Hickory?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hickory for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hickory in May

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

In May, Hickory sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 57°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Hickory 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 Hickory peaks around July 13 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 13UV 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 Hickory 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 Hickory is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Dec 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hickory?

Hickory sits at 35.7°N, 81.3°W, 1,148 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 17 mi away.

Topography around Hickory

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hickory has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft around an average of 1,106 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,368 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,899 ft.

The land around Hickory is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
312 ft
10 miles
1,368 ft
50 miles
5,899 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Lenoir 17 mi · Morganton 19 mi · Statesville 25 mi · Mooresville 32 mi · Cornelius 32 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Gastonia 34 mi · Huntersville 36 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 Hickory (35.7332°, -81.3412°, elevation 1,148 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).