Rocky Mount weather in May

In May, Rocky Mount sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 82°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 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 Rocky Mount's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rocky Mount's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:11 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Rocky Mount is city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plain region North Carolina, United States.

Density
490/km²
people per km²
Founded
1816

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 75°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Rocky Mount reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 68°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17556
27556
37556
47657
57657
67657
77657
87658
97758
107758
117758
127759
137859
147859
157860
167860
177860
187960
197961
207961
218061
228062
238062
248062
258162
268163
278163
288163
298264
308264
318264

How May really feels in Rocky Mount

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.

Rocky Mount weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 34°3.79.41.29.82.8
Feb55° / 36°3.18.91.310.63.5
Mar62° / 42°4.110.60.411.75.4
Apr71° / 51°3.49.2012.96.8
May78° / 60°3.711.2013.96.5
Jun85° / 68°4.012.4014.44.9
Jul88° / 72°4.915.4014.23.9
Aug86° / 71°4.812.8013.44.5
Sep81° / 65°5.010.6012.26.2
Oct72° / 53°3.57.4011.17.2
Nov62° / 43°3.47.50.110.15.8
Dec55° / 37°3.59.60.59.63.6

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 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174852
184852
194852
204852
214852
224753
234852
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rocky Mount gets around 3.7 in of rain over 11.2 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 (%)
135
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
935
1035
1136
1236
1336
1437
1537
1637
1737
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2538
2638
2738
2837
2937
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 39% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 20% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
160181570
258181581
357181681
455181791
555181890
6531819100
7521820100
8501920110
9481921111
10471922121
11451922131
12441923131
13431923141
14421923151
15411923161
16401824171
17391824181
18371824191
19361825201
20341825212
21321825222
22311925232
23291925243
24271925254
25261925264
26241825275
27231826285
28211826296
29201826297
30181826308
31171726309

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
27light breeze
37light breeze
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
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 5:25 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 6:52 PM to 7:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:256:52
213.55:246:52
313.55:236:53
413.55:226:54
513.65:216:55
613.65:206:56
713.65:196:57
813.75:186:58
913.75:176:58
1013.75:166:59
1113.85:157:00
1213.85:147:01
1313.85:137:02
1413.85:127:03
1513.95:117:03
1613.95:117:04
1713.95:107:05
1813.95:097:06
1914.05:087:07
2014.05:087:08
2114.05:077:08
2214.05:067:09
2314.15:067:10
2414.15:057:11
2514.15:047:11
2614.15:047:12
2714.25:037:13
2814.25:037:14
2914.25:027:14
3014.25:027:15
3114.25:017:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rocky Mount?

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
6.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Rocky Mount in May

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

In May, Rocky Mount sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount peaks around July 13 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 13UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1417 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rocky Mount?

Rocky Mount sits at 35.9°N, 77.8°W, 98 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilson, 17 mi away.

Topography around Rocky Mount

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rocky Mount has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 ft around an average of 118 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Rocky Mount is covered by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (54%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and cropland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
128 ft
10 miles
315 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Wilson 17 mi · Greenville 33 mi · Roanoke Rapids 37 mi · Goldsboro 40 mi · Wake Forest 40 mi · Clayton 42 mi · Henderson 43 mi · Kinston 48 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 Rocky Mount (35.9382°, -77.7905°, elevation 98 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).