Waco weather in May

In May, Waco sees average daytime highs of 84°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 4.7 in of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 88°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Waco's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Waco's year-round climate.

Daytime high
84°
5th warmest
Overnight low
66°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.7 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:37 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
56%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Waco is city in and seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States.

Density
505/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 81°F in the first days to 88°F by the end.

A typical May day in Waco reaches about 84°F in the afternoon and slips back to 66°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 76°F and 92°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 7°F cooler than June.

60°80°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18161
28162
38162
48162
58263
68263
78263
88264
98264
108364
118364
128365
138365
148465
158466
168466
178466
188567
198567
208567
218567
228668
238668
248668
258769
268769
278769
288769
298870
308870
318870

How May really feels in Waco

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 4 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
4
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Waco weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan59° / 40°2.86.910.25.0
Feb63° / 44°2.87.410.85.9
Mar70° / 50°3.5911.86.7
Apr77° / 57°3.48.512.77.1
May84° / 66°4.710.513.65.5
Jun91° / 73°2.98.4143.8
Jul95° / 76°1.45.713.82.8
Aug95° / 76°1.95.313.22.8
Sep89° / 70°2.4612.24.7
Oct80° / 59°4.27.211.27.2
Nov69° / 49°2.97.210.47.0
Dec61° / 42°3.37.1105.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45149
55050
64951
74951
84852
95050
105050
114951
124951
135050
145149
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205347
215248
225347
235248
245347
255347
265347
275347
285446
295545
305644
315743

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Waco gets around 4.7 in of rain over 10.5 wet days in May, the wettest month. 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 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1233
1333
1433
1533
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2932
3032
3132

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 52% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1331623254
2311622264
3291622275
4281622295
5261622305
6251523316
7231523336
8221523346
9211423357
10201423367
11181423378
12171423378
13161423389
141514233910
151413233910
161313234011
171312234012
181212234112
191111224213
201010224314
21910224415
2289214516
2379214617
2468214718
2558204719
2657204820
2747194921
2836184923
2936185024
3026175025
3126165026

Wind in May

Winds average 9 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light 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
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 54 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 5:49 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 7:02 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:497:02
213.25:487:03
313.35:477:04
413.35:467:04
513.35:457:05
613.45:457:06
713.45:447:07
813.45:437:07
913.45:427:08
1013.55:417:09
1113.55:407:09
1213.55:407:10
1313.55:397:11
1413.65:387:11
1513.65:377:12
1613.65:377:13
1713.65:367:14
1813.65:357:14
1913.75:357:15
2013.75:347:16
2113.75:347:16
2213.75:337:17
2313.75:337:18
2413.85:327:18
2513.85:327:19
2613.85:317:20
2713.85:317:20
2813.85:307:21
2913.95:307:21
3013.95:307:22
3113.95:297:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.83 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.76 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Waco?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Waco in May

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

In May, Waco sees daytime highs around 84°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Waco in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Waco peaks around July 24 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 24UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Waco 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 Waco is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Waco?

Waco sits at 31.5°N, 97.1°W, 469 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Temple, 34 mi away.

Topography around Waco

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waco has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 476 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 410 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,060 ft.

The land around Waco is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and trees (38%) within 2 miles, grassland (38%) and trees (29%) within 10 miles, and grassland (53%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
410 ft
50 miles
1,060 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Temple 34 mi · Gatesville 36 mi · Belton 39 mi · Harker Heights 44 mi · Killeen 45 mi · Fort Cavazos 47 mi · Copperas Cove 53 mi · Corsicana 55 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 Waco (31.5493°, -97.1467°, elevation 469 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).