Van Buren weather in May

In May, Van Buren sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 5.8 in of rain across 13 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 74°F in the first days to 82°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Van Buren's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Van Buren's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
5th warmest
Overnight low
60°
8th coldest
Rainfall
5.8 in
13 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:18 AM – 7:09 PM
Cloud cover
58%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Van Buren is city in Crawford County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
549/km²
people per km²
Founded
1831

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 82°F by the end.

A typical May day in Van Buren 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 69°F and 86°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)
17455
27455
37455
47456
57556
67556
77557
87657
97658
107658
117758
127758
137759
147759
157860
167860
177860
187960
197961
207961
217962
228062
238062
248063
258163
268163
278164
288264
298264
308265
318265

How May really feels in Van Buren

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.

Van Buren 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
Jan49° / 31°3.59.119.92.1
Feb54° / 35°3.58.50.910.73.2
Mar62° / 42°5.111.60.611.75.2
Apr71° / 51°5.811.3012.96.4
May78° / 60°5.813013.86.3
Jun86° / 69°3.510.5014.34.9
Jul91° / 72°3.08.9014.13.9
Aug90° / 71°2.48.1013.34.1
Sep83° / 63°3.56.9012.26.3
Oct72° / 52°4.38.9011.17.2
Nov60° / 41°4.68.80.210.15.1
Dec51° / 34°3.990.89.72.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34654
44654
54555
64555
74654
84654
94654
104753
114753
124654
134753
144852
154852
164753
174753
184852
194753
204852
214753
224753
234852
244753
254753
264753
274753
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Van Buren gets around 5.8 in of rain over 13 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1342
1442
1542
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3040
3140

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 29% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 30% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153182180
251192190
3481922100
4462022111
5442023121
6422023141
7412023151
8392024161
9382024171
10362024181
11352024201
12341924211
13331925221
14321825231
15311825242
16301725262
17291725272
18281625292
19261625312
20241624333
21231624343
22211524363
23191524384
24171524394
25161524415
26141524425
27121523436
28111523457
2991523467
3081522478
3181422479

Wind in May

Winds average 6 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
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
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 5:32 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:326:57
213.45:316:58
313.55:306:59
413.55:297:00
513.55:287:00
613.65:277:01
713.65:267:02
813.65:257:03
913.75:247:04
1013.75:237:05
1113.75:227:05
1213.85:217:06
1313.85:207:07
1413.85:197:08
1513.85:197:09
1613.95:187:09
1713.95:177:10
1813.95:167:11
1913.95:167:12
2014.05:157:13
2114.05:147:13
2214.05:147:14
2314.05:137:15
2414.15:127:16
2514.15:127:16
2614.15:117:17
2714.15:117:18
2814.15:107:19
2914.25:107:19
3014.25:097:20
3114.25:097:21

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 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.54 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Van Buren

In seasonPeak

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

Van Buren 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 Van Buren?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Van Buren for sightseeing.

What to pack for Van Buren in May

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

In May, Van Buren sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Van Buren 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 Van Buren peaks around July 10 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 10UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Van Buren 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 Van Buren is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Dec 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Van Buren?

Van Buren sits at 35.4°N, 94.3°W, 413 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fort Smith, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Van Buren

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Van Buren has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 ft around an average of 486 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 748 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,411 ft.

The land around Van Buren is covered by trees (43%), artificial surfaces (22%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and grassland (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
417 ft
10 miles
748 ft
50 miles
2,411 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Fort Smith 4.3 mi · Fayetteville 45 mi · Tahlequah 48 mi · Siloam Springs 53 mi · Springdale 53 mi · Muskogee 62 mi · Rogers 63 mi · Bentonville 65 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 Van Buren (35.4368°, -94.3483°, elevation 413 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). 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).