Sanford weather in May

In May, Sanford sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 82°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 Sanford's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:17 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
58%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Sanford is human settlement in Lee County, North Carolina, United States of America.

Density
418/km²
people per km²

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 76°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Sanford reaches about 79°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 69°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)
17656
27656
37656
47657
57657
67757
77757
87758
97758
107858
117858
127859
137859
147959
157960
167960
177960
188060
198061
208061
218061
228162
238162
248162
258162
268263
278263
288264
298264
308364
318364

How May really feels in Sanford

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.

Sanford weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 34°3.691.19.92.9
Feb55° / 36°3.191.110.73.7
Mar63° / 43°4.010.40.411.75.6
Apr72° / 52°3.48.7012.96.9
May79° / 60°3.410.1013.86.6
Jun86° / 68°4.212.2014.34.7
Jul89° / 72°4.314.7014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.512.9013.34.4
Sep81° / 64°4.810.1012.26.2
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°3.27.80.110.15.8
Dec55° / 37°3.58.90.59.63.6

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 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35248
45248
55149
65149
75149
85149
95149
105050
115149
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
175149
185050
194951
204951
215050
224951
234951
245050
255050
265050
274951
284951
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sanford gets around 3.4 in of rain over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
231
331
431
531
630
730
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1332
1432
1532
1632
1733
1833
1933
2034
2134
2234
2334
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2936
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 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
159201470
257201580
355211680
453211790
552211890
651211990
7492120100
8472221100
9452222100
10442223111
11422323111
12412324111
13392325121
14382325131
15372326131
16362326142
17342226152
18332226172
19322226182
20312126192
21302126203
22292126223
23272026233
24262026244
25252026264
26231926274
27221926285
28211826305
29201826316
30191726326
31181726327

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
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 5:31 AM to 5:08 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:316:56
213.45:306:57
313.55:296:58
413.55:286:59
513.55:277:00
613.65:267:01
713.65:257:01
813.65:247:02
913.75:237:03
1013.75:227:04
1113.75:217:05
1213.85:207:06
1313.85:207:06
1413.85:197:07
1513.85:187:08
1613.95:177:09
1713.95:167:10
1813.95:167:10
1913.95:157:11
2014.05:147:12
2114.05:137:13
2214.05:137:14
2314.05:127:14
2414.15:127:15
2514.15:117:16
2614.15:107:17
2714.15:107:17
2814.15:097:18
2914.25:097:19
3014.25:097:19
3114.25:087:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.99 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
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 Sanford?

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
6.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Sanford in May

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

In May, Sanford sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Sanford 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 Sanford peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sanford 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 Sanford is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1918 µg/m³Dec 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sanford?

Sanford sits at 35.5°N, 79.2°W, 358 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fuquay-Varina, 22 mi away.

Topography around Sanford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sanford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 384 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 466 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,227 ft.

The land around Sanford is covered by trees (73%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
466 ft
50 miles
1,227 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Fuquay-Varina 22 mi · Holly Springs 23 mi · Apex 25 mi · Fort Bragg 25 mi · Pinehurst 25 mi · Carrboro 30 mi · Chapel Hill 30 mi · Morrisville 31 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 Sanford (35.4799°, -79.1803°, elevation 358 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).