Waynesboro weather in May

In May, Waynesboro sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.0 in of rain across 12.6 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Waynesboro's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Waynesboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.0 in
12.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:10 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Waynesboro is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
546/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 69°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Waynesboro reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 53°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 8°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16949
26949
36949
46949
56950
67050
77050
87051
97051
107151
117151
127151
137152
147152
157252
167253
177253
187253
197353
207354
217354
227454
237455
247455
257455
267556
277556
287556
297657
307657
317657

How May really feels in Waynesboro

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.

Waynesboro 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
Jan42° / 26°3.18.22.99.70.4
Feb46° / 28°2.88310.51.2
Mar54° / 35°3.810.32.111.73.4
Apr65° / 44°3.510.30.2135.7
May72° / 53°4.012.60146.3
Jun80° / 61°3.611.9014.66.1
Jul84° / 65°3.912.5014.45.3
Aug82° / 64°3.210.6013.56.1
Sep76° / 57°4.49.2012.37.0
Oct65° / 45°3.27.40.1116.4
Nov54° / 35°2.97.60.49.93.7
Dec46° / 29°3.38.129.41.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44357
54357
64357
74357
84357
94357
104357
114357
124258
134258
144357
154357
164258
174357
184258
194258
204258
214357
224357
234357
244456
254456
264555
274456
284456
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Waynesboro gets around 4.0 in of rain over 12.6 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
440
540
640
740
841
941
1041
1142
1242
1342
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2440
2540
2639
2739
2839
2939
3039
3139

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 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1801550
2771760
3751870
4741970
5722080
6702190
76822100
86523111
96423121
106323131
116223141
126123151
135923162
145922172
155822182
165721193
175621203
185521213
195420224
205220235
215120245
225119246
234919257
244819258
254720258
264520259
2744212610
2843212611
2941222611
3040222612
3139222613

Wind in May

Winds average 5 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
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 24 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 5:26 AM to 5:00 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:267:00
213.65:257:00
313.65:247:01
413.75:227:02
513.75:217:03
613.75:207:04
713.85:197:05
813.85:187:06
913.85:177:07
1013.95:167:08
1113.95:157:09
1213.95:147:10
1314.05:137:11
1414.05:127:12
1514.05:117:12
1614.15:107:13
1714.15:097:14
1814.15:097:15
1914.15:087:16
2014.25:077:17
2114.25:067:18
2214.25:057:19
2314.25:057:19
2414.35:047:20
2514.35:037:21
2614.35:037:22
2714.35:027:23
2814.45:027:23
2914.45:017:24
3014.45:017:25
3114.45:007:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Waynesboro?

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
4.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Waynesboro for sightseeing.

What to pack for Waynesboro in May

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

In May, Waynesboro sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Waynesboro 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 Waynesboro peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Waynesboro 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 Waynesboro is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Waynesboro?

Waynesboro sits at 38.1°N, 78.9°W, 1,286 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Staunton, 11 mi away.

Topography around Waynesboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waynesboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 620 ft around an average of 1,388 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,058 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,400 ft.

The land around Waynesboro is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
620 ft
10 miles
3,058 ft
50 miles
4,400 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Staunton 11 mi · Charlottesville 22 mi · Harrisonburg 26 mi · Lynchburg 47 mi · West Lynchburg 48 mi · Culpeper 56 mi · Front Royal 70 mi · Short Pump 75 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 Waynesboro (38.0685°, -78.8895°, elevation 1,286 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).