Lenoir weather in May

In May, Lenoir sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 11.1 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 71°F in the first days to 78°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 Lenoir's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lenoir's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
55°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:26 AM – 7:19 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Lenoir is city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
334/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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 71°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lenoir reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 64°F and 83°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17151
27151
37151
47252
57252
67252
77253
87353
97353
107353
117353
127354
137454
147454
157455
167455
177455
187555
197556
207556
217556
227656
237657
247657
257658
267758
277758
287758
297859
307859
317859

How May really feels in Lenoir

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.

Lenoir 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° / 30°4.49.829.81.6
Feb51° / 33°3.69.12.110.62.5
Mar59° / 39°4.710.91.111.74.5
Apr68° / 47°4.39.80.112.96.3
May74° / 55°3.611.1013.96.6
Jun81° / 63°3.512.4014.45.9
Jul85° / 67°3.313.2014.25.0
Aug83° / 66°3.412013.45.6
Sep78° / 59°4.29.6012.26.9
Oct68° / 48°3.77.4011.16.8
Nov58° / 38°3.98.20.110.14.6
Dec50° / 33°4.29.21.19.62.3

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 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
65149
75149
85149
95149
105248
115248
125248
135248
145248
155248
165149
175149
185149
195050
205050
214951
224852
234852
244951
254951
264852
274852
284753
294753
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lenoir gets around 3.6 in of rain over 11.1 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
236
336
436
535
635
735
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1435
1535
1635
1736
1836
1937
2037
2138
2238
2338
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1721981
2702091
36722101
46622111
56323131
66124141
75925151
85825161
95725171
105526181
115326201
125126212
135125222
145025232
154925242
164824253
174724263
184623273
194523284
204323295
214223305
224023316
233923317
243723328
253523338
263424339
2732243410
2830243412
2928243413
3027243414
3125243416

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
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
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 5:40 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 7:07 PM to 7:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:407:07
213.55:397:07
313.55:387:08
413.55:377:09
513.65:367:10
613.65:357:11
713.65:347:12
813.75:337:13
913.75:327:13
1013.75:317:14
1113.85:307:15
1213.85:297:16
1313.85:287:17
1413.85:277:18
1513.95:267:18
1613.95:267:19
1713.95:257:20
1813.95:247:21
1914.05:237:22
2014.05:237:22
2114.05:227:23
2214.05:217:24
2314.15:217:25
2414.15:207:26
2514.15:197:26
2614.15:197:27
2714.25:187:28
2814.25:187:28
2914.25:177:29
3014.25:177:30
3114.25:177:31

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 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 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
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Lenoir?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Lenoir for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lenoir in May

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

In May, Lenoir sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Lenoir 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 Lenoir peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Lenoir 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 Lenoir is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lenoir?

Lenoir sits at 35.9°N, 81.5°W, 1,171 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Morganton, 14 mi away.

Topography around Lenoir

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lenoir has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 423 ft around an average of 1,198 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,791 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,112 ft.

The land around Lenoir is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (84%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
423 ft
10 miles
1,791 ft
50 miles
6,112 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Morganton 14 mi · Hickory 17 mi · Boone 22 mi · Statesville 38 mi · Shelby 43 mi · Mooresville 47 mi · Cornelius 48 mi · Gastonia 49 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 Lenoir (35.914°, -81.539°, elevation 1,171 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).