Laurel weather in May

In May, Laurel sees average daytime highs of 84°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 4.1 in of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 87°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Laurel's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Laurel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
84°
5th warmest
Overnight low
64°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.1 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:04 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
53%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Laurel is city in and county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
440/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 81°F in the first days to 87°F by the end.

A typical May day in Laurel reaches about 84°F in the afternoon and slips back to 64°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 76°F and 90°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)
18059
28059
38160
48160
58160
68260
78261
88261
98262
108362
118362
128362
138363
148463
158463
168464
178464
188564
198564
208565
218565
228565
238666
248666
258666
268667
278667
288767
298767
308768
318768

How May really feels in Laurel

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 1 day 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
1
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Laurel weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 39°4.59.610.24.5
Feb63° / 42°4.59.610.85.5
Mar70° / 49°4.710.111.86.5
Apr77° / 55°4.18.212.87.2
May84° / 64°4.110.113.65.7
Jun89° / 71°4.012.6143.8
Jul91° / 73°4.715.813.93.2
Aug91° / 72°4.013.613.23.3
Sep87° / 67°3.29.412.24.8
Oct78° / 56°3.3711.27.4
Nov68° / 46°3.48.110.46.7
Dec60° / 41°4.69.6105.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35545
45545
55446
65545
75545
85446
95446
105545
115545
125545
135545
145644
155743
165743
175743
185743
195842
205842
215842
225743
235743
245743
255644
265545
275545
285545
295446
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Laurel gets around 4.1 in of rain over 10.1 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 32% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
327
427
528
628
728
828
929
1029
1129
1230
1330
1431
1531
1632
1732
1832
1933
2034
2134
2235
2336
2437
2537
2638
2738
2839
2939
3040
3140

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 44% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1331925203
2321926213
3311826223
4301826234
5291727244
6271727254
7261727255
8251727265
9241627276
10231627286
11231626296
12221626297
13211626307
14201526318
15191525328
16191525339
171815243310
181715243410
191614233511
201514233712
211414223812
221313223913
231113214114
241012214215
25912204316
26811204417
27711204518
28610204519
2959204520
3049204522
3138194623

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
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:17 AM to 4:57 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:176:30
213.35:166:31
313.35:156:32
413.35:146:33
513.35:136:33
613.45:126:34
713.45:116:35
813.45:116:35
913.45:106:36
1013.55:096:37
1113.55:086:38
1213.55:076:38
1313.55:076:39
1413.65:066:40
1513.65:056:40
1613.65:046:41
1713.65:046:42
1813.75:036:42
1913.75:036:43
2013.75:026:44
2113.75:016:45
2213.75:016:45
2313.85:006:46
2413.85:006:46
2513.84:596:47
2613.84:596:48
2713.84:586:48
2813.84:586:49
2913.94:586:50
3013.94:576:50
3113.94:576:51

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
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
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Laurel?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Laurel in May

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

In May, Laurel sees daytime highs around 84°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Laurel in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Laurel peaks around July 12 at about 10 (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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Laurel 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 Laurel is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1621 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Laurel?

Laurel sits at 31.7°N, 89.1°W, 269 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hattiesburg, 27 mi away.

Topography around Laurel

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Laurel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 262 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft.

The land around Laurel is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
299 ft
50 miles
643 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Hattiesburg 27 mi · Meridian 53 mi · Brandon 64 mi · Pearl 71 mi · Jackson 75 mi · Ridgeland 78 mi · Madison 78 mi · Clinton 83 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 Laurel (31.6941°, -89.1306°, elevation 269 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).