Jonesboro weather in May

In May, Jonesboro sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 4.5 in of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Jonesboro's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jonesboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.5 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:02 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
59%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Jonesboro is county seat city in Craighead County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
353/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in Jonesboro reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17556
27557
37657
47658
57658
67658
77759
87759
97759
107860
117860
127860
137861
147961
157961
167962
178062
188062
198063
208063
218163
228164
238164
248264
258265
268265
278265
288366
298366
308366
318367

How May really feels in Jonesboro

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.

Jonesboro weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan48° / 32°3.69.119.81.8
Feb52° / 35°3.98.51.110.62.8
Mar61° / 43°5.011.30.511.75.0
Apr71° / 52°5.010.4012.96.5
May79° / 62°4.511.3013.96.4
Jun87° / 70°3.29.4014.44.8
Jul90° / 73°3.39.7014.24.0
Aug89° / 71°2.88.4013.44.5
Sep83° / 64°3.17.1012.26.4
Oct72° / 52°3.87.7011.17.3
Nov60° / 42°4.28.60.210.15.1
Dec51° / 35°4.48.70.79.62.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24951
34852
44852
54654
64753
74753
84753
94654
104654
114753
124753
134753
144753
154654
164753
174753
184753
194852
204753
214753
224753
234753
244852
254852
264852
274951
284951
294951
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Jonesboro gets around 4.5 in of rain over 11.3 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
538
638
737
837
937
1036
1136
1236
1335
1435
1535
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 29% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
152211980
250212090
3482121100
4462121110
5452122120
6442022130
7432022141
8421923161
9411923171
10401823181
11391723191
12381723201
13381623212
14371623222
15361523232
16351423243
17351423253
18331423264
19321322284
20311322295
21291421315
22271421326
23251421336
24231521347
25211521358
26201520369
271816203610
281716203711
291516203812
301416203812
311316203813

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
137light breeze
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:17 AM to 4:53 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 7:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:176:43
213.55:166:44
313.55:156:45
413.55:146:46
513.65:136:47
613.65:126:47
713.65:116:48
813.75:106:49
913.75:096:50
1013.75:086:51
1113.75:076:52
1213.85:066:52
1313.85:056:53
1413.85:046:54
1513.95:036:55
1613.95:026:56
1713.95:026:57
1813.95:016:57
1914.05:006:58
2014.04:596:59
2114.04:597:00
2214.04:587:01
2314.14:577:01
2414.14:577:02
2514.14:567:03
2614.14:567:04
2714.24:557:04
2814.24:557:05
2914.24:547:06
3014.24:547:06
3114.24:537:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.59 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Jonesboro?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Jonesboro in May

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

In May, Jonesboro sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 62°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Jonesboro 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 Jonesboro peaks around June 20 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 highModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Jonesboro 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 Jonesboro is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1319 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jonesboro?

Jonesboro sits at 35.8°N, 90.7°W, 325 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Paragould, 19 mi away.

Topography around Jonesboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jonesboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 ft around an average of 318 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 663 ft.

The land around Jonesboro is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (44%), trees (29%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (61%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
148 ft
10 miles
318 ft
50 miles
663 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Paragould 19 mi · West Memphis 57 mi · Memphis 60 mi · New South Memphis 63 mi · Bartlett 64 mi · Ellendale 65 mi · Poplar Bluff 65 mi · Cordova 71 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 Jonesboro (35.8423°, -90.7043°, elevation 325 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).