Fort Smith weather in May: Fort Smith, Arkansas: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Fort Smith in May has a normal high of 81°F and a normal low of 60°F, a daily mean of 70°F, rising from 78°F on the 1st to 86°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal May, 5.63 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 27°C and low of 15°C, 143 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationFort Smith Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00013964
- Location35.33°N 94.36°W
- Elevation449 ft (137 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population90,507
- Jan 51° 30°
- Feb 57° 33°
- Mar 66° 42°
- Apr 75° 50°
- May 81° 60°
- Jun 89° 68°
- Jul 94° 72°
- Aug 94° 71°
- Sep 87° 63°
- Oct 76° 51°
- Nov 63° 40°
- Dec 53° 32°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Fort Smith in May?
The normal high is 81°F and the normal low 60°F, for a daily mean of 70.4°F. May is 8.3°F warmer than April and 8.4°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Fort Smith and the wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 8°F, from 78°F on May 1 to 86°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.4°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 68°F and 73°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 | 78°F | 55°F | 34% | 24% |
| May 8 | 79°F | 57°F | 35% | 24% |
| May 15 | 81°F | 59°F | 35% | 24% |
| May 22 | 83°F | 62°F | 34% | 23% |
| May 31 | 86°F | 64°F | 33% | 23% |
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 | 78°F | 55°F | 34% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 78°F | 55°F | 34% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 78°F | 55°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 78°F | 56°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 79°F | 56°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 79°F | 56°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 79°F | 57°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 79°F | 57°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 80°F | 57°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 80°F | 58°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 80°F | 58°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 80°F | 58°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 81°F | 59°F | 35% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 81°F | 59°F | 35% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 81°F | 59°F | 35% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 81°F | 60°F | 35% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 82°F | 60°F | 35% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 82°F | 60°F | 34% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 82°F | 61°F | 34% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 82°F | 61°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 83°F | 61°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 83°F | 62°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 83°F | 62°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 84°F | 62°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 84°F | 63°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 84°F | 63°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 84°F | 63°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 85°F | 64°F | 34% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 85°F | 64°F | 33% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 85°F | 64°F | 33% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 86°F | 64°F | 33% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 81°FMay average
- Normal low
- 60°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 5.63 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 29
- Days at 80°F or more
- 19
- Sunshine
- 73%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013964; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Fort Smith in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 34% on average, highest around May 9 (35%). In all, 5.63 in falls on 11 days of a normal May, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Fort Smith, 3 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013964.
How humid and windy is Fort Smith in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 83°F with 54% relative humidity and a dew point of 64°F; at 6 a.m. it is 67°F with 89% humidity. The wind averages 6.3 mph, most often from the south in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 67°F | 64°F | 89% | 4.5 mph | 57% |
| 9 a.m. | 75°F | 65°F | 71% | 7.2 mph | 54% |
| noon | 81°F | 65°F | 58% | 8.6 mph | 54% |
| 3 p.m. | 83°F | 64°F | 54% | 8.9 mph | 57% |
| 6 p.m. | 81°F | 65°F | 58% | 7.9 mph | 68% |
| 9 p.m. | 74°F | 65°F | 74% | 4.4 mph | 75% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013964. 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 Fort Smith?
The warmest May temperature on Fort Smith's official record (since 1882) is 99°F, on May 31, 1934; the coldest is 34°F, on May 1, 1903. The wettest May brought 19.85 in (2015).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 70.4°F: 2021 67.9°F (−2.5), 2022 72.2°F (+1.8), 2023 72.4°F (+2.0), 2024 74.7°F (+4.3), 2025 70.0°F (−0.4), 2026 72.0°F (+1.6). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 67.9°F | −2.5°F | 6.74 in |
| 2022 | 72.2°F | +1.8°F | 6.64 in |
| 2023 | 72.4°F | +2.0°F | 3.13 in |
| 2024 | 74.7°F | +4.3°F | 6.20 in |
| 2025 | 70.0°F | −0.4°F | 8.61 in |
| 2026 | 72.0°F | +1.6°F | 3.74 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record FSMthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013964. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Fort Smith compare across Arkansas?
Across the 86 places PlainClimate covers in Arkansas, May normal highs run from 70°F in Deer to 85°F in Crossett; Fort Smith's is 81°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.