Virginia Beach weather in May

In May, Virginia Beach sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 3.5 in of rain across 10.2 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 74°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 Virginia Beach's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Virginia Beach's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
5th warmest
Overnight low
62°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.5 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:01 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Virginia Beach is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
353/km²
people per km²
Founded
1906

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 74°F by the end.

A typical May day in Virginia Beach reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 62°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 79°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16757
26757
36758
46858
56858
66859
76959
86959
96959
106960
116960
127060
137060
147061
157161
167161
177162
187162
197162
207263
217263
227263
237364
247364
257364
267465
277465
287465
297465
307566
317566

How May really feels in Virginia Beach

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.

Virginia Beach weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 37°3.89.71.39.81.7
Feb49° / 38°3.39.7110.61.9
Mar54° / 44°4.010.60.511.73.4
Apr63° / 53°3.39.3012.95.7
May71° / 62°3.510.2013.96.6
Jun79° / 70°3.510.4014.56.6
Jul83° / 75°4.613.5014.35.5
Aug82° / 74°4.312.4013.46.1
Sep77° / 69°4.510.8012.36.8
Oct68° / 60°3.880116.7
Nov59° / 49°3.78.50104.7
Dec52° / 42°3.89.60.49.52.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45248
55347
65347
75347
85347
95248
105248
115248
125149
135248
145248
155248
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
224951
234951
245050
255050
265149
275149
285149
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Virginia Beach gets around 3.5 in of rain over 10.2 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 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1534
1634
1734
1833
1933
2033
2133
2232
2332
2432
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

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 32% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153241850
252241950
351242050
449242160
547242270
646252270
744252380
843252390
941252490
10402524101
11382525111
12372525121
13362525131
14352525141
15342525151
16332425162
17322425172
18302425183
19292325203
20272326214
21252326224
22242226245
23222226256
24212126266
25192026287
26172026298
27161926309
281419263110
291318263211
301218263312
311117263313

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

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 5:16 AM to 4:52 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:166:46
213.55:156:47
313.65:146:48
413.65:136:49
513.65:126:49
613.75:116:50
713.75:106:51
813.75:096:52
913.85:086:53
1013.85:076:54
1113.85:066:55
1213.85:056:56
1313.95:046:56
1413.95:036:57
1513.95:026:58
1614.05:016:59
1714.05:007:00
1814.05:007:01
1914.04:597:02
2014.14:587:02
2114.14:577:03
2214.14:577:04
2314.14:567:05
2414.24:557:06
2514.24:557:06
2614.24:547:07
2714.24:547:08
2814.34:537:09
2914.34:537:09
3014.34:527:10
3114.34:527:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.25 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Virginia Beach

In seasonPeak

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

Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Virginia Beach for sightseeing.

What to pack for Virginia Beach in May

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

In May, Virginia Beach sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 62°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Virginia Beach 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 78°F and coldest in February near 43°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 16 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan46Bracing
Feb43Bracing
Mar46Bracing
Apr53Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul77Warm
Aug78Warm
Sep75Warm
Oct68Refreshing
Nov59Cool
Dec52Bracing

UV index in Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (November, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1015 µg/m³Nov 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug12Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach sits at 36.9°N, 76.0°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Chesapeake, 17 mi away.

Topography around Virginia Beach

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Virginia Beach has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 144 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft.

The land around Virginia Beach is covered by water (51%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, water (61%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and water (52%) and trees (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
144 ft
50 miles
210 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Chesapeake 17 mi · Norfolk 17 mi · Portsmouth 18 mi · Portsmouth Heights 22 mi · East Hampton 24 mi · Hampton 24 mi · Newport News 27 mi · Suffolk 35 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 Virginia Beach (36.8529°, -75.978°, elevation 10 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).