Opelika weather in May

In May, Opelika sees average daytime highs of 82°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 85°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Opelika's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Opelika's year-round climate.

Daytime high
82°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
4:48 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Opelika is city in Alabama, United States.

Density
188/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 78°F in the first days to 85°F by the end.

A typical May day in Opelika reaches about 82°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 74°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 5°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17858
27858
37858
47958
57959
67959
78060
88060
98060
108060
118161
128161
138161
148162
158262
168262
178263
188263
198263
208364
218364
228364
238365
248365
258465
268465
278466
288466
298567
308567
318567

How May really feels in Opelika

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.

Opelika weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 38°4.51010.13.8
Feb60° / 41°4.79.810.84.7
Mar67° / 47°4.61011.86.3
Apr74° / 54°3.88.712.87.1
May82° / 62°3.18.913.76.4
Jun87° / 70°4.01314.14.3
Jul89° / 72°5.11613.93.6
Aug88° / 72°3.913.613.23.9
Sep84° / 66°3.38.812.25.7
Oct75° / 55°2.9711.27.5
Nov65° / 45°4.28.110.36.4
Dec58° / 40°4.7109.94.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35347
45347
55347
65347
75248
85248
95347
105347
115347
125347
135545
145545
155545
165644
175545
185644
195644
205743
215644
225743
235644
245644
255545
265644
275545
285446
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Opelika gets around 3.1 in of rain over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
427
527
627
727
827
927
1027
1127
1228
1328
1428
1528
1628
1728
1828
1928
2028
2129
2229
2330
2431
2531
2632
2733
2834
2935
3036
3136

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 30% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1432520120
2412521130
3402521140
4382422160
5362423170
6352423180
7332324190
8322324200
9312324210
10302325220
11292225240
12282225251
13272126261
14262126271
15252027271
16241928281
17231928291
18221829292
19211829302
20201730303
21191730313
22181631324
23161631334
24151531345
25141531356
26121431366
27111431377
28101431388
2991330399
30813294011
31713284112

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
196calm
206calm
216calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:01 AM to 4:40 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:016:17
213.35:006:18
313.34:596:18
413.44:586:19
513.44:576:20
613.44:566:21
713.44:556:21
813.54:546:22
913.54:536:23
1013.54:526:24
1113.54:516:24
1213.64:516:25
1313.64:506:26
1413.64:496:26
1513.64:486:27
1613.74:486:28
1713.74:476:29
1813.74:466:29
1913.74:466:30
2013.84:456:31
2113.84:446:31
2213.84:446:32
2313.84:436:33
2413.84:436:34
2513.94:426:34
2613.94:426:35
2713.94:416:35
2813.94:416:36
2913.94:416:37
3014.04:406:37
3114.04:406:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.24 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Opelika?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Opelika in May

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

In May, Opelika sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Opelika 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 Opelika peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Opelika 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 Opelika is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1921 µg/m³Jan 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Opelika?

Opelika sits at 32.6°N, 85.4°W, 807 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Auburn, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Opelika

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Opelika has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft around an average of 784 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 755 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,385 ft.

The land around Opelika is covered by trees (61%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) within 10 miles, and trees (86%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
203 ft
10 miles
755 ft
50 miles
1,385 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Auburn 6.2 mi · Phenix City 25 mi · Columbus 26 mi · LaGrange 34 mi · Montgomery 57 mi · Millbrook 58 mi · Newnan 61 mi · Prattville 64 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 Opelika (32.6454°, -85.3783°, elevation 807 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).