Shelbyville weather in May

In May, Shelbyville sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 4.5 in of rain across 12.1 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 Shelbyville's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelbyville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.5 in
12.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
4:46 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
59%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Shelbyville is city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
443/km²
people per km²
Founded
1810

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 74°F in the first days to 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Shelbyville reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 68°F and 86°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
27455
37455
47556
57556
67556
77657
87657
97657
107658
117758
127758
137759
147759
157859
167860
177860
187860
197961
207961
217961
228062
238062
248062
258063
268163
278163
288164
298164
308264
318264

How May really feels in Shelbyville

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.

Shelbyville 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
Jan48° / 32°4.610.31.29.91.8
Feb53° / 35°4.810.81.310.72.8
Mar61° / 42°5.311.50.611.74.9
Apr70° / 51°4.810.4012.96.4
May78° / 60°4.512.1013.86.4
Jun85° / 68°4.213.6014.44.9
Jul88° / 71°4.513.2014.24.2
Aug87° / 69°3.311013.34.6
Sep82° / 63°3.38.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.48.1011.17.1
Nov60° / 41°4.08.50.210.15.0
Dec51° / 35°5.110.80.79.62.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34654
44654
54753
64753
74753
84852
94753
104951
114951
124951
135050
144951
154951
164951
175050
185050
195050
204951
214951
224852
234951
244852
254852
264753
274753
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Shelbyville gets around 4.5 in of rain over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
540
640
740
839
939
1039
1138
1238
1338
1437
1537
1637
1737
1837
1938
2038
2138
2239
2339
2440
2540
2641
2742
2842
2943
3044
3144

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 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
155212040
253212150
350222260
448222360
546222470
645232580
743232590
8412325100
9402326120
10382326130
11372226140
12362226150
13352227160
14342127180
15332127190
16322127200
17312027210
18312026230
19301926241
20291926261
21271926271
22261826281
23251826292
24231826312
25221826323
26211826333
27191726344
28181725354
29171725365
30161625385
31151625396

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
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 5:01 AM to 4:37 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:016:26
213.44:596:26
313.54:586:27
413.54:576:28
513.54:566:29
613.64:556:30
713.64:546:31
813.64:536:31
913.74:526:32
1013.74:516:33
1113.74:506:34
1213.84:496:35
1313.84:496:36
1413.84:486:36
1513.84:476:37
1613.94:466:38
1713.94:456:39
1813.94:456:40
1913.94:446:40
2014.04:436:41
2114.04:436:42
2214.04:426:43
2314.04:416:43
2414.14:416:44
2514.14:406:45
2614.14:406:46
2714.14:396:46
2814.14:396:47
2914.24:386:48
3014.24:386:48
3114.24:376:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.94 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
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 Shelbyville?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Shelbyville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shelbyville in May

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

In May, Shelbyville sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Shelbyville 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 Shelbyville peaks around July 13 at about 10 (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 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shelbyville 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 Shelbyville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 16 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shelbyville?

Shelbyville sits at 35.5°N, 86.5°W, 755 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Tullahoma, 16 mi away.

Topography around Shelbyville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shelbyville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft around an average of 774 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 663 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,054 ft.

The land around Shelbyville is covered by trees (42%) and grassland (40%) within 2 miles, grassland (47%) and trees (45%) within 10 miles, and trees (63%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
197 ft
10 miles
663 ft
50 miles
2,054 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Tullahoma 16 mi · Murfreesboro 25 mi · Spring Hill 32 mi · Columbia 34 mi · Smyrna 35 mi · La Vergne 37 mi · Franklin 38 mi · Brentwood Estates 42 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 Shelbyville (35.4834°, -86.4603°, elevation 755 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).