Winchester weather in May

In May, Winchester sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 4.1 in of rain across 12.4 wet days and about 14.1 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 24% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Winchester's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winchester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
53°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.1 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:05 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Winchester is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,138/km²
people per km²
Founded
1752

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 Winchester 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 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 8°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16849
26949
36950
46950
56950
67050
77051
87051
97051
107151
117152
127152
137152
147153
157253
167253
177253
187254
197354
207355
217355
227455
237455
247456
257556
267556
277657
287657
297658
307758
317758

How May really feels in Winchester

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.

Winchester 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
Jan40° / 25°2.98.33.59.60.0
Feb44° / 27°2.68.33.610.50.6
Mar52° / 34°3.710.42.811.72.8
Apr64° / 44°3.6110.2135.5
May72° / 53°4.112.4014.16.3
Jun81° / 62°3.611.8014.75.9
Jul85° / 67°3.511.3014.55.0
Aug84° / 65°2.910.1013.55.6
Sep77° / 58°4.29.2012.36.9
Oct65° / 46°3.28.10.1116.2
Nov54° / 36°2.97.60.69.93.4
Dec44° / 29°3.28.82.69.30.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 (%)
14456
24357
34456
44456
54456
64456
74456
84357
94357
104258
114258
124258
134357
144258
154159
164159
174258
184159
194060
204060
214060
224060
234159
244357
254258
264357
274357
284357
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Winchester gets around 4.1 in of rain over 12.4 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1801550
2781660
3771760
4751870
5731980
6722080
7712090
8702190
96821101
106721111
116721111
126621121
136521122
146421132
156321142
166220153
176220153
186020164
195920174
205720185
215520196
225420197
235220208
245120209
2550202010
2649202111
2748202111
2847202112
2946202113
3045212113
3144212114

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
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 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 4:54 AM, and sunset from 6:59 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:216:59
213.75:207:00
313.75:197:01
413.75:177:02
513.85:167:02
613.85:157:03
713.85:147:04
813.95:137:05
913.95:127:06
1013.95:117:07
1114.05:107:08
1214.05:097:09
1314.05:087:10
1414.15:077:11
1514.15:067:12
1614.15:057:13
1714.25:047:14
1814.25:037:15
1914.25:027:16
2014.35:017:17
2114.35:017:18
2214.35:007:18
2314.34:597:19
2414.44:587:20
2514.44:587:21
2614.44:577:22
2714.44:567:23
2814.54:567:23
2914.54:557:24
3014.54:557:25
3114.54:547:26

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Winchester?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Winchester for sightseeing.

What to pack for Winchester in May

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

In May, Winchester sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Winchester 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 Winchester peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Winchester 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 Winchester is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Winchester?

Winchester sits at 39.2°N, 78.2°W, 709 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Front Royal, 19 mi away.

Topography around Winchester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 ft around an average of 748 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,183 ft.

The land around Winchester is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (37%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) and grassland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
358 ft
10 miles
1,814 ft
50 miles
4,183 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
May weather nearby: Front Royal 19 mi · Martinsburg 22 mi · Leesburg 32 mi · Ashburn 37 mi · Hagerstown 39 mi · South Riding 40 mi · Ballenger Creek 41 mi · Sterling 41 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 Winchester (39.1857°, -78.1633°, elevation 709 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).