Tupelo weather in May

In May, Tupelo sees average daytime highs of 81°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 4.8 in of rain across 10.9 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 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Tupelo's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tupelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
81°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.8 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:58 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
56%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Tupelo is city in, and the county seat of, Lee County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
268/km²
people per km²
Founded
1860

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 78°F in the first days to 84°F by the end.

A typical May day in Tupelo reaches about 81°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 72°F and 89°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)
17757
27758
37858
47858
57858
67859
77959
87959
97960
108060
118060
128061
138061
148161
158162
168162
178262
188263
198263
208263
218364
228364
238364
248365
258365
268465
278466
288466
298566
308567
318567

How May really feels in Tupelo

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.

Tupelo 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
Jan52° / 35°5.19.60.5102.8
Feb56° / 38°5.110.70.610.73.8
Mar65° / 45°5.111.30.211.75.7
Apr73° / 53°4.99.8012.86.8
May81° / 62°4.810.9013.86.2
Jun88° / 70°3.911.6014.24.3
Jul90° / 73°4.113.1014.13.6
Aug90° / 71°3.510.7013.33.9
Sep85° / 65°3.67.3012.25.7
Oct74° / 53°4.07.3011.17.4
Nov63° / 43°4.09010.25.7
Dec54° / 37°5.410.40.29.83.3

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
64951
75050
85050
95050
105050
115149
125149
135248
145248
155248
165347
175446
185446
195446
205446
215347
225347
235347
245347
255248
265248
275248
285149
295149
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tupelo gets around 4.8 in of rain over 10.9 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 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2135
2235
2335
2436
2536
2637
2737
2838
2938
3039
3139

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 28% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 33% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1452123101
2432124111
3412125121
4392026132
5382026142
6362026152
7352027162
8342027182
9322027192
10312027202
11302026212
12291926232
13281926243
14271926253
15271925273
16261824283
17251824294
18241823314
19231822325
20221722345
21211722356
22201622366
23181622387
24171522398
25151522408
26141422419
271314224110
281113224211
291013224213
30912224214
31812224315

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
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
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 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:11 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:116:33
213.45:106:33
313.45:096:34
413.45:086:35
513.55:076:36
613.55:066:37
713.55:056:37
813.65:046:38
913.65:036:39
1013.65:036:40
1113.65:026:41
1213.75:016:41
1313.75:006:42
1413.74:596:43
1513.84:586:44
1613.84:586:44
1713.84:576:45
1813.84:566:46
1913.94:566:47
2013.94:556:47
2113.94:546:48
2213.94:546:49
2313.94:536:50
2414.04:526:50
2514.04:526:51
2614.04:516:52
2714.04:516:52
2814.04:516:53
2914.14:506:54
3014.14:506:54
3114.14:496:55

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.08 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
66.0Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Tupelo?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Tupelo in May

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

In May, Tupelo sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Tupelo 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 Tupelo peaks around July 11 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 11UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Tupelo 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 Tupelo is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Jan 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tupelo?

Tupelo sits at 34.3°N, 88.7°W, 279 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oxford, 47 mi away.

Topography around Tupelo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Tupelo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 289 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 ft.

The land around Tupelo is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (58%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
348 ft
50 miles
833 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Oxford 47 mi · Columbus 55 mi · Starkville 56 mi · Florence 70 mi · East Florence 71 mi · Collierville 77 mi · Olive Branch 80 mi · Hernando 83 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 Tupelo (34.2581°, -88.7046°, elevation 279 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).