Salisbury weather in May

In May, Salisbury sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 3.2 in of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-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 30% 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 Salisbury's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salisbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.2 in
10.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:22 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
58%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Salisbury is city in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
591/km²
people per km²
Founded
1763

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 Salisbury reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 68°F and 87°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)
17455
27555
37555
47555
57656
67656
77656
87656
97757
107757
117757
127758
137858
147858
157858
167859
177959
187959
197960
207960
218060
228060
238061
248061
258162
268162
278162
288263
298263
308263
318264

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 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 32°3.69.51.39.92.3
Feb53° / 35°3.38.91.310.63.2
Mar61° / 41°4.210.10.511.75.2
Apr71° / 50°3.69.2012.96.7
May78° / 59°3.210.7013.96.6
Jun85° / 67°3.612014.44.8
Jul89° / 71°3.613.8014.23.9
Aug87° / 69°3.511.8013.34.6
Sep81° / 63°3.89.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.37.1011.17.2
Nov60° / 41°3.37.70.110.15.3
Dec52° / 35°3.78.90.69.63.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125050
135050
145050
154951
165050
175050
185050
194951
205050
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
264951
274852
284951
294852
304852
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Salisbury gets around 3.2 in of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
633
733
833
933
1033
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1835
1935
2036
2136
2236
2337
2437
2537
2637
2737
2837
2938
3038
3139

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 42% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
165191240
263201340
361211440
459221540
557221650
655231750
753241850
851251950
950251960
1048262060
1147262170
1245272170
1344272280
1442272290
15412722100
16402623110
17392623120
18382523130
19372524141
20362424151
21352324161
22342325171
23332325182
24322225192
25302225202
26292226212
27282126222
28262127233
29252127243
30242027263
31232027274

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 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 5:36 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 7:02 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:367:02
213.55:357:03
313.55:347:04
413.55:337:04
513.65:327:05
613.65:317:06
713.65:307:07
813.65:297:08
913.75:287:09
1013.75:277:10
1113.75:267:10
1213.85:257:11
1313.85:247:12
1413.85:237:13
1513.95:237:14
1613.95:227:14
1713.95:217:15
1813.95:207:16
1914.05:207:17
2014.05:197:18
2114.05:187:18
2214.05:187:19
2314.15:177:20
2414.15:167:21
2514.15:167:21
2614.15:157:22
2714.15:157:23
2814.25:147:24
2914.25:147:24
3014.25:137:25
3114.25:137:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.96 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
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
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 Salisbury?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

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 78°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Salisbury in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Salisbury peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Salisbury 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 Salisbury is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Salisbury?

Salisbury sits at 35.7°N, 80.5°W, 768 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kannapolis, 15 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 180 ft around an average of 725 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,474 ft.

The land around Salisbury is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (73%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
180 ft
10 miles
584 ft
50 miles
2,474 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kannapolis 15 mi · Lexington 16 mi · Concord 19 mi · Mooresville 20 mi · Statesville 24 mi · Clemmons 25 mi · Cornelius 25 mi · Thomasville 26 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 (35.671°, -80.4742°, elevation 768 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).