Suffolk weather in May

In May, Suffolk sees average daytime highs of 77°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 3.8 in of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 13.9 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 80°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Suffolk's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Suffolk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
77°
5th warmest
Overnight low
59°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.8 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:04 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
59%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Suffolk is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
79/km²
people per km²
Founded
1742

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 80°F by the end.

A typical May day in Suffolk reaches about 77°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 65°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)
17355
27355
37455
47455
57456
67456
77456
87556
97557
107557
117557
127658
137658
147658
157658
167759
177759
187759
197759
207860
217860
227860
237961
247961
257961
267962
278062
288062
298063
308163
318163

How May really feels in Suffolk

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.

Suffolk 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
Jan50° / 33°3.49.31.39.82.4
Feb53° / 35°3.18.81.210.63.0
Mar60° / 41°3.910.60.511.74.8
Apr69° / 50°3.49.5012.96.5
May77° / 59°3.810.8013.96.7
Jun84° / 67°4.111.7014.55.3
Jul88° / 72°5.014.9014.34.0
Aug86° / 70°4.713.1013.44.7
Sep80° / 65°4.810.9012.26.3
Oct71° / 54°3.77.7011.17.1
Nov61° / 43°3.48.40.1105.5
Dec54° / 37°3.59.50.69.53.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
64951
74951
84951
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
144951
155050
165050
174951
184951
194951
204951
214852
224852
234852
244951
254951
264951
274951
284852
294951
304951
314852

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Suffolk gets around 3.8 in of rain over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2035
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
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 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 18% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
163171460
262171560
360171670
460171670
558171780
656171890
755181890
8531819100
9521919100
10501919111
11482020111
12472020121
13462020131
14442021131
15432021141
16422121151
17402122161
18392122162
19372123172
20352124182
21332124192
22312124203
23302225213
24282225224
25262225234
26252225244
27232225255
28222225266
29202126266
30192125277
31182125288

Wind in May

Winds average 7 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
167light breeze
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of May to 14 h 18 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 5:19 AM to 4:55 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:196:48
213.55:186:49
313.65:176:50
413.65:166:51
513.65:156:52
613.75:136:52
713.75:126:53
813.75:116:54
913.75:106:55
1013.85:096:56
1113.85:086:57
1213.85:076:58
1313.95:076:59
1413.95:066:59
1513.95:057:00
1614.05:047:01
1714.05:037:02
1814.05:027:03
1914.05:027:04
2014.15:017:05
2114.15:007:05
2214.15:007:06
2314.14:597:07
2414.24:587:08
2514.24:587:08
2614.24:577:09
2714.24:577:10
2814.24:567:11
2914.34:567:11
3014.34:557:12
3114.34:557:13

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Suffolk

In seasonPeak

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

Suffolk 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 Suffolk?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Suffolk for sightseeing.

What to pack for Suffolk in May

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

In May, Suffolk sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 59°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Suffolk in May

The nearest coast averages about 63°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 37 mi away) is warmest in August at about 79°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 14 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar45Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul78Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep76Warm
Oct68Cool
Nov57Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Suffolk 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 Suffolk peaks around July 12 at about 9 (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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Suffolk 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 Suffolk is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Suffolk?

Suffolk sits at 36.7°N, 76.6°W, 49 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is South Suffolk, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Suffolk

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Suffolk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 ft.

The land around Suffolk is covered by trees (55%) within 2 miles, trees (70%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and water (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
167 ft
50 miles
341 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: South Suffolk 0.6 mi · Portsmouth Heights 14 mi · Portsmouth 17 mi · Chesapeake 18 mi · Norfolk 19 mi · Newport News 19 mi · Hampton 25 mi · East Hampton 25 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 Suffolk (36.7284°, -76.585°, elevation 49 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).