Newport News weather in May

In May, Newport News sees average daytime highs of 76°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-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 31% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Newport News's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newport News's year-round climate.

Daytime high
76°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:03 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
59%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Newport News is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
601/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 Newport News reaches about 76°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 64°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)
17255
27356
37356
47356
57356
67357
77457
87457
97458
107458
117458
127558
137559
147559
157659
167659
177660
187660
197760
207761
217761
227761
237862
247862
257862
267963
277963
287963
298064
308064
318064

How May really feels in Newport News

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.

Newport News 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 34°3.49.31.69.82.1
Feb51° / 35°3.18.51.310.62.7
Mar59° / 41°4.0100.511.74.5
Apr68° / 51°3.29.7012.96.4
May76° / 60°3.710.50146.7
Jun83° / 68°3.811.7014.55.4
Jul87° / 73°4.614.6014.34.2
Aug85° / 71°4.412013.45.0
Sep80° / 66°4.510.2012.36.5
Oct70° / 55°3.87.60117.0
Nov60° / 44°3.48.30105.2
Dec53° / 38°3.59.10.69.53.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24951
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84951
94951
104852
114852
124951
134951
144951
154852
164852
174852
184852
194852
204753
214753
224753
234753
244852
254852
264951
274951
284951
294951
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Newport News gets around 3.7 in of rain over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3034
3134

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 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 17% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
162181550
261181650
360181750
458181860
557181960
656181970
755182070
853192080
952192180
1050192191
11482022101
12472022101
13462022111
14452023121
15432023131
16422023131
17412023141
18392124151
19372124162
20362124172
21342124182
22322125203
23302225213
24282225223
25272225234
26252225244
27232225255
28222225266
29212225266
30192225277
31182125288

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
297light breeze
307light breeze
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 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 5:18 AM to 4:53 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:186:48
213.55:176:49
313.65:166:50
413.65:156:51
513.65:136:51
613.75:126:52
713.75:116:53
813.75:106:54
913.85:096:55
1013.85:086:56
1113.85:076:57
1213.95:066:58
1313.95:056:59
1413.95:056:59
1513.95:047:00
1614.05:037:01
1714.05:027:02
1814.05:017:03
1914.15:007:04
2014.15:007:04
2114.14:597:05
2214.14:587:06
2314.24:587:07
2414.24:577:08
2514.24:567:08
2614.24:567:09
2714.24:557:10
2814.34:557:11
2914.34:547:11
3014.34:547:12
3114.34:537:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.94 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Newport News

In seasonPeak

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

Newport News 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 Newport News?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Newport News for sightseeing.

What to pack for Newport News in May

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

In May, Newport News sees daytime highs around 76°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Newport News in May

The nearest coast averages about 63°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 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 79°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 14 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar45Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul78Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep76Warm
Oct68Cool
Nov57Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Newport News 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 Newport News peaks around July 12 at about 9 (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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Newport News 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 Newport News is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Newport News?

Newport News sits at 37.0°N, 76.4°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hampton, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Newport News

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Newport News has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 ft.

The land around Newport News is covered by water (49%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, water (43%) and trees (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (46%) and water (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
197 ft
50 miles
341 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Hampton 5.6 mi · East Hampton 6.8 mi · Portsmouth Heights 12 mi · Norfolk 12 mi · Portsmouth 12 mi · Chesapeake 14 mi · Suffolk 19 mi · South Suffolk 21 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 Newport News (36.9804°, -76.4297°, elevation 20 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).