Johnson City weather in May

In May, Johnson City sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.2 in of rain across 14.4 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Johnson City's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Johnson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.2 in
14.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:28 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
62%
7th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Johnson City is city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in Tennessee, United States.

Density
589/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 68°F in the first days to 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Johnson City reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16749
26849
36849
46850
56850
66950
76951
86951
96951
106951
116952
127052
137052
147052
157053
167153
177153
187153
197154
207154
217254
227255
237255
247355
257355
267356
277356
287456
297457
307457
317457

How May really feels in Johnson City

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.

Johnson City weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan44° / 28°4.3134.99.80.6
Feb47° / 30°3.812.34.810.61.4
Mar55° / 36°4.813.63.411.73.3
Apr64° / 45°4.4131.212.95.4
May71° / 53°4.214.4013.95.9
Jun77° / 61°4.216.4014.45.8
Jul80° / 64°4.217014.25.5
Aug79° / 63°3.814013.46.0
Sep74° / 57°3.610.4012.26.8
Oct65° / 46°3.09.40.311.16.1
Nov55° / 36°3.49.81.210.13.5
Dec47° / 31°4.211.73.89.61.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34654
44753
54654
64753
74753
84852
94654
104753
114753
124852
134852
144852
154951
164951
174951
184951
194753
204753
214753
224753
234654
244654
254654
264654
274555
284555
294555
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Johnson City gets around 4.2 in of rain over 14.4 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
350
449
549
649
748
848
948
1048
1147
1247
1346
1446
1546
1645
1745
1845
1945
2045
2145
2245
2346
2446
2546
2647
2748
2848
2949
3049
3150

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 54% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1791830
2762040
3752140
4732250
5702460
6692560
7672670
8652780
9632890
106228100
116029110
125830120
135730130
145630140
155431150
165331160
175131180
185130190
194930200
204830210
214730231
224530241
234430251
244230261
254130272
264030282
273831292
283731303
293531313
303430323
313330344

Wind in May

Winds average 5 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 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 5:43 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:437:10
213.55:427:11
313.55:417:12
413.65:397:13
513.65:387:14
613.65:377:15
713.75:367:16
813.75:357:17
913.75:347:17
1013.75:337:18
1113.85:327:19
1213.85:317:20
1313.85:317:21
1413.95:307:22
1513.95:297:23
1613.95:287:23
1714.05:277:24
1814.05:267:25
1914.05:267:26
2014.05:257:27
2114.15:247:27
2214.15:247:28
2314.15:237:29
2414.15:227:30
2514.15:227:31
2614.25:217:31
2714.25:217:32
2814.25:207:33
2914.25:207:33
3014.25:197:34
3114.35:197:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.87 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
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
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Johnson City?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Johnson City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Johnson City in May

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

In May, Johnson City sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 53°F. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Johnson City 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 Johnson City peaks around July 13 at about 10 (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 10Dec 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 Johnson City 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 Johnson City is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Dec 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Johnson City?

Johnson City sits at 36.3°N, 82.4°W, 1,634 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kingsport, 20 mi away.

Topography around Johnson City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Johnson City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 607 ft around an average of 1,719 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,418 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,682 ft.

The land around Johnson City is covered by trees (46%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
607 ft
10 miles
2,418 ft
50 miles
5,682 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Kingsport 20 mi · Bristol 22 mi · Bristol 22 mi · Greeneville 29 mi · Boone 39 mi · Asheville 50 mi · Morristown 53 mi · Lenoir 53 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 Johnson City (36.3134°, -82.3535°, elevation 1,634 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).