Asheville weather in May: Asheville, North Carolina: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Asheville in May has a normal high of 76°F and a normal low of 53°F, a daily mean of 65°F, rising from 74°F on the 1st to 79°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal May, 4.13 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 25°C and low of 12°C, 105 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationAsheville Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00003812
- Location35.43°N 82.54°W
- Elevation2,117 ft (645 m)
- From the center10 miles
- Population94,992
- Jan 49° 29°
- Feb 53° 31°
- Mar 60° 37°
- Apr 69° 45°
- May 76° 53°
- Jun 83° 61°
- Jul 85° 65°
- Aug 84° 64°
- Sep 79° 58°
- Oct 70° 46°
- Nov 60° 36°
- Dec 52° 31°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Asheville in May?
The normal high is 76°F and the normal low 53°F, for a daily mean of 64.8°F. May is 7.8°F warmer than April and 7.0°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Asheville and the 6th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 5°F, from 74°F on May 1 to 79°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.6°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 62°F and 67°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 41%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 74°F | 49°F | 37% | 23% |
| May 8 | 75°F | 51°F | 37% | 24% |
| May 15 | 76°F | 53°F | 38% | 24% |
| May 22 | 77°F | 55°F | 39% | 25% |
| May 31 | 79°F | 57°F | 41% | 26% |
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 74°F | 49°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 74°F | 49°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 74°F | 50°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 74°F | 50°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 74°F | 50°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 75°F | 50°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 75°F | 51°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 75°F | 51°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 75°F | 51°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 75°F | 52°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 75°F | 52°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 76°F | 52°F | 37% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 76°F | 52°F | 37% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 76°F | 53°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 76°F | 53°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 76°F | 53°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 76°F | 54°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 77°F | 54°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 77°F | 54°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 77°F | 54°F | 39% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 77°F | 55°F | 39% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 77°F | 55°F | 39% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 78°F | 55°F | 39% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 78°F | 56°F | 39% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 78°F | 56°F | 40% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 78°F | 56°F | 40% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 78°F | 56°F | 40% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 79°F | 57°F | 40% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 79°F | 57°F | 41% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 79°F | 57°F | 41% | 25% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 79°F | 57°F | 41% | 26% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 76°FMay average
- Normal low
- 53°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 4.13 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 25
- Days at 80°F or more
- 10
- Sunshine
- 74%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00003812; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Asheville in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 38% on average, highest around May 31 (41%). In all, 4.13 in falls on 12 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00003812.
How humid and windy is Asheville in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 76°F with 52% relative humidity and a dew point of 58°F; at 6 a.m. it is 59°F with 92% humidity. The wind averages 5.3 mph, most often from the west in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 59°F | 57°F | 92% | 2.9 mph | 52% |
| 9 a.m. | 68°F | 59°F | 73% | 5.7 mph | 62% |
| noon | 75°F | 58°F | 56% | 7.8 mph | 52% |
| 3 p.m. | 76°F | 58°F | 52% | 8.9 mph | 53% |
| 6 p.m. | 73°F | 58°F | 60% | 8.1 mph | 57% |
| 9 p.m. | 67°F | 59°F | 77% | 3.7 mph | 57% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00003812. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for May in Asheville?
The warmest May temperature on Asheville's official record (since 1876) is 93°F, on May 27, 1890; the coldest is 28°F, on May 8, 1989. The wettest May brought 14.68 in (2018).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 64.8°F: 2021 62.7°F (−2.1), 2022 66.1°F (+1.3), 2023 63.4°F (−1.4), 2024 67.4°F (+2.6), 2025 64.3°F (−0.5), 2026 64.2°F (−0.6). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.7°F | −2.1°F | 3.37 in |
| 2022 | 66.1°F | +1.3°F | 7.32 in |
| 2023 | 63.4°F | −1.4°F | 3.58 in |
| 2024 | 67.4°F | +2.6°F | 4.96 in |
| 2025 | 64.3°F | −0.5°F | 6.66 in |
| 2026 | 64.2°F | −0.6°F | 8.98 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record AVLthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00003812. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Asheville compare across North Carolina?
Across the 131 places PlainClimate covers in North Carolina, May normal highs run from 61°F in Beech Mountain to 83°F in Laurinburg; Asheville's is 76°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.