Salisbury weather in May

In May, Salisbury sees average daytime highs of 74°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 78°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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Salisbury's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salisbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
74°
5th warmest
Overnight low
57°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
4:56 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
58%
10th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Salisbury is city in southeastern Maryland, United States.

Density
916/km²
people per km²
Founded
1732

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 70°F in the first days to 78°F by the end.

A typical May day in Salisbury reaches about 74°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 63°F and 85°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)
17053
27053
37053
47153
57154
67154
77154
87155
97255
107255
117255
127356
137356
147356
157356
167457
177457
187457
197458
207558
217558
227659
237659
247660
257660
267760
277761
287861
297861
307862
317862

How May really feels in Salisbury

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.

Salisbury weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 31°3.39.52.19.61.2
Feb48° / 32°3.08.82.110.51.8
Mar55° / 39°4.110.71.211.73.6
Apr65° / 48°3.39.60.2136.0
May74° / 57°3.510.4014.16.7
Jun82° / 66°3.711.2014.65.9
Jul87° / 72°4.413014.44.6
Aug85° / 70°4.712013.55.1
Sep79° / 64°4.09.8012.36.7
Oct69° / 53°4.18.10116.8
Nov58° / 42°3.08.109.94.7
Dec50° / 35°3.59.119.42.3

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 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35149
45149
55149
65149
75050
85050
95050
104951
114951
125050
135050
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
194951
204852
214852
224753
234753
244753
254753
264753
274753
284753
294852
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Salisbury gets around 3.5 in of rain over 10.4 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 (%)
133
233
333
432
532
632
732
832
933
1033
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1735
1835
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2734
2834
2934
3034
3133

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 52% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17019920
268201020
368201020
467201120
566191230
665191330
764191430
862191540
962191540
1061191640
1159191750
1258191760
1359181760
1457181870
1556181880
1656181880
1754181990
18531819100
19511820110
20491820121
21471821131
22451921141
23431921161
24421921171
25401921181
26391921192
27371922202
28352022212
29342022222
30322022233
31312022243

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light 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
237light breeze
247light breeze
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 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 5:12 AM to 4:46 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:126:47
213.65:116:48
313.65:106:49
413.75:096:50
513.75:086:51
613.85:066:52
713.85:056:53
813.85:046:54
913.95:036:54
1013.95:026:55
1113.95:016:56
1214.05:006:57
1314.04:596:58
1414.04:586:59
1514.04:577:00
1614.14:567:01
1714.14:567:02
1814.14:557:03
1914.24:547:04
2014.24:537:04
2114.24:527:05
2214.24:527:06
2314.34:517:07
2414.34:507:08
2514.34:507:09
2614.34:497:09
2714.44:487:10
2814.44:487:11
2914.44:477:12
3014.44:477:13
3114.44:467:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.21 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Salisbury

In seasonPeak

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

Salisbury 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 Salisbury?

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
5.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Salisbury for sightseeing.

What to pack for Salisbury in May

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

In May, Salisbury sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 57°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Salisbury in May

The nearest coast averages about 58°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 30 mi away) is warmest in August at about 76°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 17 to Oct 9 — about 3.8 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar43Bracing
Apr49Bracing
May58Bracing
Jun68Refreshing
Jul75Refreshing
Aug76Warm
Sep73Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec50Bracing

UV index in Salisbury 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 Salisbury peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 10UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Salisbury?

Salisbury sits at 38.4°N, 75.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Easton, 39 mi away.

Topography around Salisbury

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Salisbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 36 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.

The land around Salisbury is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (62%) within 10 miles, and water (47%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
164 ft
50 miles
230 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Easton 39 mi · Cape May 55 mi · Dover 55 mi · Annapolis 65 mi · Parole 66 mi · Arnold 67 mi · Greater Upper Marlboro 70 mi · Lake Shore 70 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 Salisbury (38.3607°, -75.5994°, elevation 23 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).