Shelby weather in May

In May, Shelby sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 10 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 75°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 Shelby's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
10 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:27 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Shelby is city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
369/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 75°F in the first days to 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Shelby reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°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 87°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)
17455
27555
37555
47556
57656
67656
77656
87657
97757
107757
117758
127758
137858
147858
157859
167859
177959
187959
197960
207960
218060
228061
238061
248061
258162
268162
278162
288263
298263
308263
318264

How May really feels in Shelby

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.

Shelby 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
Jan51° / 33°4.09.61.39.92.5
Feb55° / 36°3.58.91.110.73.4
Mar62° / 42°4.510.10.411.75.4
Apr71° / 51°3.89012.96.8
May78° / 59°3.010013.86.7
Jun85° / 67°3.713014.34.8
Jul89° / 71°3.814.4014.13.9
Aug86° / 69°3.812.7013.34.6
Sep81° / 63°3.69.2012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.36.9011.17.3
Nov61° / 41°3.67.7010.15.4
Dec53° / 35°4.090.69.73.1

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 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55446
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125248
135248
145248
155149
165149
175050
185050
194951
204951
214951
224951
234852
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294852
304852
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Shelby gets around 3.0 in of rain over 10 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 33% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
432
532
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1432
1532
1632
1732
1833
1933
2033
2134
2234
2334
2434
2535
2635
2735
2836
2936
3037
3137

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 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
160211540
259211640
357221740
454221950
552232050
651232150
749242260
847242360
946242370
1044252470
1143252480
1241252590
13402525100
14392525110
15382525120
16372525130
17362525140
18352425150
19342425161
20332425171
21322425181
22302425201
23292425212
24282325222
25262325232
26252325252
27242324262
28222324282
29212224303
30202224313
31182224333

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
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
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 5:41 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:417:06
213.45:407:06
313.55:397:07
413.55:387:08
513.55:377:09
613.65:367:10
713.65:357:11
813.65:347:11
913.75:337:12
1013.75:327:13
1113.75:317:14
1213.75:307:15
1313.85:297:15
1413.85:287:16
1513.85:287:17
1613.95:277:18
1713.95:267:19
1813.95:257:19
1913.95:257:20
2014.05:247:21
2114.05:237:22
2214.05:237:23
2314.05:227:23
2414.05:217:24
2514.15:217:25
2614.15:207:26
2714.15:207:26
2814.15:197:27
2914.15:197:28
3014.25:187:28
3114.25:187:29

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.01 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
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 Shelby?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Shelby in May

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

In May, Shelby sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 59°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 1719 µg/m³Dec 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shelby?

Shelby sits at 35.3°N, 81.5°W, 860 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gastonia, 20 mi away.

Topography around Shelby

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shelby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 853 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,705 ft.

The land around Shelby is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
518 ft
50 miles
4,705 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Gastonia 20 mi · Hickory 32 mi · Morganton 32 mi · Spartanburg 32 mi · Rock Hill 39 mi · Charlotte 39 mi · Huntersville 40 mi · Cornelius 40 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 Shelby (35.2923°, -81.5357°, elevation 860 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).