Socastee weather in May

In May, Socastee sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 76°F in the first days to 81°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Socastee's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Socastee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
64°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:20 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
53%
4th clearest
Wind
8 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Socastee is census-designated place in Horry County, South Carolina.

Density
555/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 81°F by the end.

A typical May day in Socastee reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 64°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°F warmer than April and about 6°F cooler than June.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17560
27661
37661
47661
57662
67662
77762
87762
97763
107763
117863
127863
137864
147864
157864
167864
177965
187965
197965
207965
218066
228066
238066
248067
258067
268167
278167
288168
298168
308268
318269

How May really feels in Socastee

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.

Socastee weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 40°3.59.1104.1
Feb59° / 42°3.48.310.74.7
Mar65° / 48°3.89.211.76.1
Apr72° / 56°3.1812.87.1
May78° / 64°3.410.413.76.8
Jun84° / 72°5.015.314.24.8
Jul87° / 75°6.418.9143.8
Aug85° / 74°7.018.713.34.1
Sep82° / 69°6.212.712.25.9
Oct74° / 59°3.77.811.27.3
Nov65° / 49°3.17.410.36.5
Dec59° / 43°3.78.79.84.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36139
46040
56040
66139
76040
86040
96040
105941
115941
125941
135842
145842
155842
165743
175743
185743
195743
205644
215644
225644
235644
245644
255644
265446
275446
285446
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Socastee gets around 3.4 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 33% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
629
729
829
930
1030
1130
1230
1331
1431
1531
1632
1732
1833
1934
2034
2135
2236
2336
2437
2538
2638
2739
2840
2941
3041
3142

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 42% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1332324173
2312225183
3302225193
4292126213
5282126223
6272027233
7262027243
8252027253
9241927264
10231927274
11221827294
12211727305
13201727315
14201626326
15191626337
16181526347
17181525348
181715243510
191614233511
201514233612
211414223614
221314223715
231213213717
241013213818
25913203820
26812193822
27712193824
28612183826
29511173828
30411173830
31410163733

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
238light breeze
248light breeze
257light breeze
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 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 5:33 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 7:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:336:53
213.45:326:54
313.45:316:54
413.45:306:55
513.45:296:56
613.55:286:57
713.55:286:58
813.55:276:58
913.65:266:59
1013.65:257:00
1113.65:247:01
1213.65:237:01
1313.75:227:02
1413.75:227:03
1513.75:217:04
1613.75:207:04
1713.85:197:05
1813.85:197:06
1913.85:187:07
2013.85:177:07
2113.95:177:08
2213.95:167:09
2313.95:157:10
2413.95:157:10
2513.95:147:11
2614.05:147:12
2714.05:137:12
2814.05:137:13
2914.05:137:14
3014.05:127:14
3114.15:127:15

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.23 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.23 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Socastee

In seasonPeak

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

Socastee 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 Socastee?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Socastee in May

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

In May, Socastee sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 64°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Socastee in May

The nearest coast averages about 72°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 8 mi away) is warmest in August at about 82°F and coldest in February near 60°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 28 to Nov 16 — about 6.7 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan61Cool
Feb60Cool
Mar61Cool
Apr65Cool
May72Refreshing
Jun79Warm
Jul82Warm
Aug82Warm
Sep80Warm
Oct75Refreshing
Nov68Refreshing
Dec64Cool

UV index in Socastee in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Socastee 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 3 (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 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Socastee 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 Socastee is worst in March — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodMar 1719 µg/m³Dec 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb12Good
Mar21Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May11Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Socastee?

Socastee sits at 33.7°N, 79.0°W, 16 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Myrtle Beach, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Socastee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Socastee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 33 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft.

The land around Socastee is covered by trees (56%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and water (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (58%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
125 ft
50 miles
210 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Myrtle Beach 6.2 mi · Conway 11 mi · North Myrtle Beach 21 mi · Florence 57 mi · Lumberton 65 mi · Leland 68 mi · Wilmington 71 mi · Goose Creek 77 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 Socastee (33.6835°, -78.9984°, elevation 16 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. 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).