Birmingham weather in May: Birmingham, Alabama: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Birmingham in May has a normal high of 82°F and a normal low of 61°F, a daily mean of 72°F, rising from 79°F on the 1st to 85°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal May, 4.91 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 28°C and low of 16°C, 125 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationBirmingham Airport
- Station IDUSW00013876
- Location33.57°N 86.75°W
- Elevation615 ft (188 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population196,357
- Jan 55° 35°
- Feb 59° 38°
- Mar 67° 45°
- Apr 75° 52°
- May 82° 61°
- Jun 88° 69°
- Jul 91° 72°
- Aug 91° 71°
- Sep 86° 65°
- Oct 76° 54°
- Nov 65° 43°
- Dec 57° 38°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Birmingham in May?
The normal high is 82°F and the normal low 61°F, for a daily mean of 71.5°F. May is 7.9°F warmer than April and 6.8°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Birmingham and the 6th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 79°F on May 1 to 85°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 69°F and 74°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 35%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 79°F | 57°F | 30% | 21% |
| May 8 | 80°F | 59°F | 31% | 21% |
| May 15 | 82°F | 61°F | 31% | 22% |
| May 22 | 83°F | 63°F | 33% | 23% |
| May 31 | 85°F | 65°F | 35% | 25% |
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 | 79°F | 57°F | 30% | 21% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 79°F | 57°F | 30% | 21% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 3 | 79°F | 57°F | 30% | 21% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 4 | 79°F | 58°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 5 | 80°F | 58°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 80°F | 58°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 80°F | 58°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 8 | 80°F | 59°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 9 | 80°F | 59°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 10 | 81°F | 59°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 11 | 81°F | 60°F | 31% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 81°F | 60°F | 31% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 81°F | 60°F | 31% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 14 | 82°F | 61°F | 31% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 15 | 82°F | 61°F | 31% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 16 | 82°F | 61°F | 32% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 17 | 82°F | 61°F | 32% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 83°F | 62°F | 32% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 83°F | 62°F | 32% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 20 | 83°F | 62°F | 32% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 21 | 83°F | 63°F | 32% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 22 | 83°F | 63°F | 33% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 23 | 84°F | 63°F | 33% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 24 | 84°F | 63°F | 33% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 25 | 84°F | 64°F | 33% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 84°F | 64°F | 34% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 85°F | 64°F | 34% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 28 | 85°F | 64°F | 34% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 29 | 85°F | 65°F | 34% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 30 | 85°F | 65°F | 35% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 31 | 85°F | 65°F | 35% | 25% | 14 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 82°FMay average
- Normal low
- 61°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 4.91 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min to 14 h 10 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 30
- Days at 80°F or more
- 21
- Sunshine
- 79%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013876; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Birmingham in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 32% on average, highest around May 31 (35%). In all, 4.91 in falls on 10 days of a normal May, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Birmingham, 3 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013876.
How humid and windy is Birmingham in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 83°F with 52% relative humidity and a dew point of 64°F; at 6 a.m. it is 69°F with 84% humidity. The wind averages 5.6 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 69°F | 64°F | 84% | 3.7 mph | 44% |
| 9 a.m. | 77°F | 65°F | 67% | 6.9 mph | 44% |
| noon | 82°F | 64°F | 55% | 8.1 mph | 23% |
| 3 p.m. | 83°F | 64°F | 52% | 8.6 mph | 23% |
| 6 p.m. | 79°F | 64°F | 60% | 7.1 mph | 44% |
| 9 p.m. | 73°F | 65°F | 76% | 3.9 mph | 56% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013876. 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 Birmingham?
The warmest May temperature on Birmingham's official record (since 1895) is 99°F, on May 29, 1898; the coldest is 36°F, on May 4, 1971. The wettest May brought 17.22 in (2003).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 71.5°F: 2021 70.1°F (−1.4), 2022 75.4°F (+3.9), 2023 71.6°F (+0.1), 2024 75.5°F (+4.0), 2025 71.2°F (−0.3), 2026 71.6°F (+0.1). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 70.1°F | −1.4°F | 6.60 in |
| 2022 | 75.4°F | +3.9°F | 2.55 in |
| 2023 | 71.6°F | +0.1°F | 3.27 in |
| 2024 | 75.5°F | +4.0°F | 3.50 in |
| 2025 | 71.2°F | −0.3°F | 11.29 in |
| 2026 | 71.6°F | +0.1°F | 3.66 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record BHMthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013876. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Birmingham compare across Alabama?
Across the 80 places PlainClimate covers in Alabama, May normal highs run from 78°F in Valley Head to 88°F in Andalusia; Birmingham's is 82°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.