Knoxville weather in May

In May, Knoxville sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 80°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Knoxville's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knoxville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
58°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
11.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:35 AM – 7:29 PM
Cloud cover
59%
8th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Knoxville is city and county seat of Knox County, State of Tennessee, United States.

Density
707/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 73°F in the first days to 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Knoxville reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 67°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17354
27354
37354
47455
57455
67455
77456
87456
97556
107556
117557
127657
137657
147658
157658
167758
177758
187759
197759
207859
217860
227860
237960
247961
257961
268061
278062
288062
298062
308162
318163

How May really feels in Knoxville

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.

Knoxville weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 31°4.410.71.89.81.6
Feb52° / 34°4.310.91.710.62.6
Mar60° / 41°4.912.20.711.74.6
Apr69° / 49°4.310.9012.96.2
May77° / 58°3.711.7013.96.5
Jun84° / 66°3.713.2014.45.2
Jul86° / 70°4.714.8014.24.4
Aug86° / 68°3.411.4013.44.9
Sep81° / 62°3.58.3012.26.7
Oct70° / 50°2.97.8011.17.0
Nov59° / 40°3.88.90.210.14.7
Dec50° / 35°4.610.619.62.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54951
64951
74951
84852
94852
104852
114951
124852
134951
144951
154951
165050
174852
184852
194852
204852
214753
224753
234753
244753
254753
264753
274753
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Knoxville gets around 3.7 in of rain over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
340
440
540
639
739
838
938
1038
1137
1237
1336
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2037
2137
2237
2338
2438
2538
2638
2739
2839
2939
3039
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 35% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
159231710
256231920
354232120
451242230
549242430
647242540
745242640
844242750
942242860
1040242970
1139233080
1238233090
13372331100
14362231110
15352231120
16342131130
17332131150
18332031160
19322031170
20311931190
21301931201
22281931211
23271931221
24251932231
25241932241
26221932252
27212032262
28202032272
29182032282
30172032292
31162032302

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
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
304calm
314calm

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 5:50 AM to 5:26 AM, and sunset from 7:16 PM to 7:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:507:16
213.55:487:17
313.55:477:18
413.55:467:19
513.65:457:20
613.65:447:20
713.65:437:21
813.75:427:22
913.75:417:23
1013.75:407:24
1113.85:397:25
1213.85:387:26
1313.85:387:26
1413.85:377:27
1513.95:367:28
1613.95:357:29
1713.95:347:30
1814.05:337:30
1914.05:337:31
2014.05:327:32
2114.05:317:33
2214.15:317:34
2314.15:307:34
2414.15:297:35
2514.15:297:36
2614.15:287:37
2714.25:287:37
2814.25:277:38
2914.25:277:39
3014.25:267:40
3114.25:267:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.9 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
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Knoxville?

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
5.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Knoxville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Knoxville in May

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

In May, Knoxville sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 58°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Knoxville 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 Knoxville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Knoxville 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 Knoxville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Knoxville?

Knoxville sits at 36.0°N, 83.9°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Farragut, 14 mi away.

Topography around Knoxville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Knoxville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 919 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 879 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,974 ft.

The land around Knoxville is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
879 ft
50 miles
5,974 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Farragut 14 mi · Maryville 14 mi · Oak Ridge 20 mi · Sevierville 21 mi · Gatlinburg 29 mi · Morristown 39 mi · Greeneville 63 mi · Cleveland 77 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 Knoxville (35.9606°, -83.9207°, elevation 906 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).