Rock Hill weather in May

In May, Rock Hill sees average daytime highs of 80°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 77°F in the first days to 83°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Rock Hill's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rock Hill's year-round climate.

Daytime high
80°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:26 AM – 7:15 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Rock Hill is city in York County, South Carolina, United States.

Density
737/km²
people per km²
Founded
1852

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 77°F in the first days to 83°F by the end.

A typical May day in Rock Hill reaches about 80°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 89°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17656
27656
37756
47757
57757
67857
77858
87858
97858
107959
117959
127959
137959
148060
158060
168060
178060
188161
198161
208161
218162
228262
238262
248263
258263
268363
278364
288364
298364
308464
318465

How May really feels in Rock Hill

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.

Rock Hill weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 34°3.89.519.92.9
Feb56° / 37°3.48.80.710.73.8
Mar64° / 43°4.29.90.311.75.7
Apr73° / 52°3.58.7012.97.0
May80° / 60°2.99.6013.86.5
Jun87° / 68°3.811.8014.34.5
Jul90° / 72°3.713.5014.13.6
Aug88° / 71°4.011.5013.34.4
Sep82° / 64°3.78.4012.26.3
Oct72° / 53°3.36.9011.17.4
Nov62° / 42°3.27.50.110.25.8
Dec54° / 37°3.89.10.59.73.5

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 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35545
45545
55545
65545
75545
85545
95545
105545
115446
125446
135347
145446
155446
165347
175248
185248
195248
205149
215149
225149
235149
245149
255050
264951
275050
284951
294951
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rock Hill gets around 2.9 in of rain over 9.6 wet days in May, the driest month. 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 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
430
530
630
730
829
929
1030
1130
1230
1329
1429
1530
1630
1730
1831
1931
2032
2132
2233
2333
2433
2534
2634
2734
2835
2935
3036
3136

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 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 18% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
161191460
259201560
356211670
455211770
553221870
651231880
749241980
847242090
945252090
10442521100
11422622100
12412622110
13392623110
14382623120
15372624131
16352624141
17342524151
18342524171
19332424181
20322424191
21302424202
22292324212
23282325222
24262325233
25252325243
26242325254
27222224274
28212224284
29202224295
30192124306
31182124316

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 7:03 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:407:03
213.45:397:04
313.55:387:05
413.55:367:05
513.55:357:06
613.55:347:07
713.65:337:08
813.65:327:09
913.65:327:09
1013.75:317:10
1113.75:307:11
1213.75:297:12
1313.75:287:13
1413.85:277:14
1513.85:267:14
1613.85:267:15
1713.95:257:16
1813.95:247:17
1913.95:237:17
2013.95:237:18
2113.95:227:19
2214.05:217:20
2314.05:217:20
2414.05:207:21
2514.05:207:22
2614.15:197:23
2714.15:197:23
2814.15:187:24
2914.15:187:25
3014.15:177:25
3114.25:177:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.03 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rock Hill?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Rock Hill in May

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

In May, Rock Hill sees daytime highs around 80°F and nights near 60°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Rock Hill 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 Rock Hill peaks around July 12 at about 9 (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 — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Rock Hill 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 Rock Hill is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rock Hill?

Rock Hill sits at 34.9°N, 81.0°W, 679 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Matthews, 22 mi away.

Topography around Rock Hill

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rock Hill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft around an average of 643 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 486 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,421 ft.

The land around Rock Hill is covered by trees (62%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
167 ft
10 miles
486 ft
50 miles
1,421 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Matthews 22 mi · Stallings 22 mi · Indian Trail 23 mi · Charlotte 23 mi · Gastonia 25 mi · Monroe 27 mi · Mint Hill 28 mi · Huntersville 35 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 Rock Hill (34.9249°, -81.0251°, elevation 679 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).