Staunton weather in May

In May, Staunton sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 3.9 in of rain across 12.8 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 75°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Staunton's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Staunton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
52°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.9 in
12.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:11 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Staunton is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
471/km²
people per km²
Founded
1747

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 68°F in the first days to 75°F by the end.

A typical May day in Staunton reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16848
26848
36948
46949
56949
66949
76949
87050
97050
107050
117050
127051
137151
147151
157151
167152
177152
187252
197253
207253
217353
227353
237354
247454
257455
267455
277455
287555
297556
307556
317656

How May really feels in Staunton

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.

Staunton weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 25°2.98.13.29.70.2
Feb45° / 27°2.67.83.110.51.0
Mar53° / 34°3.610.42.311.73.1
Apr64° / 43°3.3100.4135.6
May72° / 52°3.912.80146.2
Jun79° / 60°3.211.5014.66.3
Jul83° / 64°3.611.8014.45.6
Aug82° / 63°2.810.5013.56.3
Sep75° / 56°4.08.8012.37.0
Oct65° / 44°3.07.10.2116.3
Nov54° / 35°2.87.40.59.93.5
Dec45° / 29°3.18.32.29.41.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54456
64357
74357
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134258
144357
154258
164258
174258
184258
194357
204357
214258
224258
234456
244456
254555
264555
274654
284654
294555
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Staunton gets around 3.9 in of rain over 12.8 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
540
640
741
841
941
1042
1142
1242
1342
1442
1541
1641
1741
1841
1942
2042
2142
2241
2341
2441
2540
2639
2739
2839
2939
3038
3138

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 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1811630
2781840
3771940
4752050
5742150
6722260
7712270
8692380
9682390
106723100
116722110
126622120
136522130
146321151
156221161
166220171
176120181
186019192
195919202
205719213
215619223
225419234
235319244
245219245
255020256
264920256
274721257
284621257
294521268
304422268
314322269

Wind in May

Winds average 5 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
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
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 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 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 5:27 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 7:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:277:00
213.65:257:01
313.65:247:02
413.75:237:03
513.75:227:04
613.75:217:05
713.85:207:06
813.85:197:07
913.85:187:08
1013.95:167:09
1113.95:157:10
1213.95:147:11
1314.05:147:12
1414.05:137:13
1514.05:127:13
1614.15:117:14
1714.15:107:15
1814.15:097:16
1914.15:087:17
2014.25:077:18
2114.25:077:19
2214.25:067:20
2314.35:057:20
2414.35:057:21
2514.35:047:22
2614.35:037:23
2714.35:037:24
2814.45:027:24
2914.45:027:25
3014.45:017:26
3114.45:017:27

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Staunton?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Staunton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Staunton in May

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

In May, Staunton sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Staunton 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 Staunton peaks around June 22 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Staunton 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 Staunton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Staunton?

Staunton sits at 38.1°N, 79.1°W, 1,417 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waynesboro, 11 mi away.

Topography around Staunton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Staunton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft around an average of 1,526 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,686 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,701 ft.

The land around Staunton is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (46%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
719 ft
10 miles
1,686 ft
50 miles
4,701 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Waynesboro 11 mi · Harrisonburg 24 mi · Charlottesville 34 mi · Lynchburg 51 mi · West Lynchburg 52 mi · Culpeper 63 mi · Front Royal 71 mi · Roanoke 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 Staunton (38.1499°, -79.0732°, elevation 1,417 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).