New Bern weather in May

In May, New Bern sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 63°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 80°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 New Bern's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Bern's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
63°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:09 AM – 7:00 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

New Bern is county seat of Craven County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
391/km²
people per km²
Founded
1710

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 74°F in the first days to 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in New Bern reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 63°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 69°F and 85°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)
17459
27459
37459
47460
57560
67560
77560
87561
97661
107661
117661
127662
137662
147762
157762
167763
177763
187863
197863
207864
217864
227964
237965
247965
257965
268065
278066
288066
298066
308167
318167

How May really feels in New Bern

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.

New Bern weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 38°3.89.10.79.93.2
Feb56° / 40°3.390.610.73.8
Mar62° / 46°3.79.60.111.75.5
Apr70° / 54°3.38.6012.96.8
May77° / 63°4.711.3013.86.6
Jun83° / 70°6.316.1014.34.9
Jul86° / 74°7.719.9014.13.8
Aug85° / 73°7.717.7013.34.4
Sep80° / 68°6.513.7012.25.9
Oct72° / 57°4.18.4011.17.0
Nov63° / 47°3.88.1010.25.9
Dec56° / 41°3.69.20.19.74.0

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 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35248
45248
55347
65347
75248
85248
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185248
195248
205248
215248
225149
235050
245050
255050
265050
274852
284852
294852
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

New Bern gets around 4.7 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 37% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
732
832
933
1033
1134
1234
1334
1435
1535
1636
1736
1837
1938
2038
2139
2240
2340
2441
2541
2642
2742
2843
2943
3044
3144

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 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 36% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1392521142
2372521152
3362421162
4352422172
5332422182
6322322202
7312323213
8302323223
9292323223
10272224233
11262224244
12252224254
13242224255
14232125265
15222125275
16212125276
17202025287
18192025297
19182025308
20171924309
211519243110
221419243211
231318243313
241217233414
251117233415
261016233517
27915233618
28814223619
29713223721
30613213723
31612213724

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:23 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:236:47
213.45:226:48
313.55:216:49
413.55:206:50
513.55:196:51
613.65:186:51
713.65:176:52
813.65:166:53
913.65:156:54
1013.75:146:55
1113.75:136:56
1213.75:136:56
1313.85:126:57
1413.85:116:58
1513.85:106:59
1613.85:097:00
1713.95:097:00
1813.95:087:01
1913.95:077:02
2013.95:067:03
2114.05:067:03
2214.05:057:04
2314.05:047:05
2414.05:047:06
2514.15:037:06
2614.15:037:07
2714.15:027:08
2814.15:027:09
2914.15:017:09
3014.15:017:10
3114.25:017:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.12 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.12 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for New Bern

In seasonPeak

None of New Bern's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

New Bern sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit New Bern?

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
6.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit New Bern for sightseeing.

What to pack for New Bern in May

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

In May, New Bern sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 63°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near New Bern in May

The nearest coast averages about 70°F in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 34 mi away) is warmest in August at about 82°F and coldest in February near 58°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 6 to Nov 13 — about 6.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb58Bracing
Mar60Cool
Apr64Cool
May70Refreshing
Jun77Warm
Jul81Warm
Aug82Warm
Sep80Warm
Oct74Refreshing
Nov67Cool
Dec63Cool

UV index in New Bern 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 New Bern peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 9Dec 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in New Bern 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 New Bern is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2318 µg/m³Dec 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb12Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is New Bern?

New Bern sits at 35.1°N, 77.0°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Havelock, 18 mi away.

Topography around New Bern

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New Bern has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft.

The land around New Bern is covered by water (39%) and trees (29%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
171 ft
50 miles
374 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Havelock 18 mi · Kinston 32 mi · Jacksonville 33 mi · Greenville 39 mi · Goldsboro 57 mi · Wilson 65 mi · Rocky Mount 71 mi · Wilmington 79 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 New Bern (35.1085°, -77.0441°, elevation 10 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).