Highlands weather in May: Highlands, North Carolina: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Highlands in May has a normal high of 69°F and a normal low of 47°F, a daily mean of 58°F, rising from 66°F on the 1st to 72°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 14 days in a normal May, 6.60 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 21°C and low of 8°C, 168 mm of precipitation and 1 cm of snow in May.
- NOAA stationHighlands
- Station IDUSC00314055
- Location35.06°N 83.20°W
- Elevation3,850 ft (1,174 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population1,119
- Jan 42° 24°
- Feb 46° 26°
- Mar 54° 32°
- Apr 62° 39°
- May 69° 47°
- Jun 75° 54°
- Jul 78° 58°
- Aug 76° 57°
- Sep 71° 51°
- Oct 63° 41°
- Nov 53° 32°
- Dec 45° 27°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Highlands in May?
The normal high is 69°F and the normal low 47°F, for a daily mean of 58.0°F. May is 7.7°F warmer than April and 6.5°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Highlands and the 11th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 66°F on May 1 to 72°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 56°F and 60°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 47%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 66°F | 43°F | 44% | 30% |
| May 8 | 68°F | 45°F | 44% | 29% |
| May 15 | 69°F | 47°F | 45% | 29% |
| May 22 | 71°F | 48°F | 46% | 29% |
| May 31 | 72°F | 51°F | 47% | 31% |
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 | 66°F | 43°F | 44% | 30% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 2 | 67°F | 43°F | 44% | 30% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 67°F | 43°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 67°F | 44°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 67°F | 44°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 67°F | 44°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 7 | 68°F | 44°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 68°F | 45°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 68°F | 45°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 68°F | 45°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 68°F | 46°F | 44% | 29% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 69°F | 46°F | 45% | 29% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 13 | 69°F | 46°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 69°F | 46°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 69°F | 47°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 69°F | 47°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 70°F | 47°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 70°F | 47°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 19 | 70°F | 48°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h |
| May 20 | 70°F | 48°F | 45% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 70°F | 48°F | 46% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 71°F | 48°F | 46% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 71°F | 49°F | 46% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 71°F | 49°F | 46% | 29% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 71°F | 49°F | 46% | 30% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 26 | 71°F | 50°F | 46% | 30% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 27 | 71°F | 50°F | 46% | 30% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 72°F | 50°F | 47% | 30% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 72°F | 50°F | 47% | 30% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 72°F | 51°F | 47% | 30% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 72°F | 51°F | 47% | 31% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 69°FMay average
- Normal low
- 47°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 6.60 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 140.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.2 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 30 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 17
- Days at 80°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 74%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00314055; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Highlands in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 45% on average, highest around May 31 (47%). In all, 6.60 in falls on 14 days of a normal May, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Highlands, 1 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 0.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00314055.
What are the records for May in Highlands?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 91°F, on May 29, 1941; the coldest is 24°F, on May 2, 1918. The wettest May brought 24.08 in (1976); the snowiest, 5.5 inches (1992).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 58.0°F: 2021 55.8°F (−2.2), 2022 59.9°F (+1.9), 2023 55.6°F (−2.4), 2024 59.9°F (+1.9), 2025 58.1°F (+0.1), 2026 57.8°F (−0.2). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.8°F | −2.2°F | 5.59 in |
| 2022 | 59.9°F | +1.9°F | 14.85 in |
| 2023 | 55.6°F | −2.4°F | 4.00 in |
| 2024 | 59.9°F | +1.9°F | 10.38 in |
| 2025 | 58.1°F | +0.1°F | 8.92 in |
| 2026 | 57.8°F | −0.2°F | 12.39 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00314055; recent months: ACIS, station USC00314055. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Highlands 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; Highlands's is 69°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.