Knoxville weather in May: Knoxville, Tennessee: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Knoxville in May has a normal high of 79°F and a normal low of 57°F, a daily mean of 68°F, rising from 76°F on the 1st to 82°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal May, 4.13 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 26°C and low of 14°C, 105 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationKnoxville Airport
- Station IDUSW00013891
- Location35.82°N 83.99°W
- Elevation962 ft (293 m)
- From the center11 miles
- Population198,722
- Jan 48° 30°
- Feb 53° 33°
- Mar 61° 40°
- Apr 71° 48°
- May 79° 57°
- Jun 86° 65°
- Jul 88° 69°
- Aug 88° 68°
- Sep 83° 61°
- Oct 72° 49°
- Nov 60° 38°
- Dec 51° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Knoxville in May?
The normal high is 79°F and the normal low 57°F, for a daily mean of 67.9°F. May is 8.3°F warmer than April and 7.4°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Knoxville and the 9th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 76°F on May 1 to 82°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.9°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 65°F and 71°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 38%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 76°F | 53°F | 37% | 25% |
| May 8 | 77°F | 55°F | 37% | 24% |
| May 15 | 79°F | 57°F | 36% | 24% |
| May 22 | 80°F | 59°F | 37% | 23% |
| May 31 | 82°F | 61°F | 38% | 24% |
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 | 76°F | 53°F | 37% | 25% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 76°F | 53°F | 37% | 25% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 76°F | 53°F | 37% | 25% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 76°F | 54°F | 37% | 25% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 76°F | 54°F | 37% | 25% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 77°F | 54°F | 37% | 25% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 77°F | 54°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 77°F | 55°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 77°F | 55°F | 37% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 78°F | 55°F | 36% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 78°F | 56°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 78°F | 56°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 78°F | 56°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 78°F | 56°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 79°F | 57°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 79°F | 57°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 79°F | 57°F | 36% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 79°F | 58°F | 36% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 19 | 80°F | 58°F | 36% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 80°F | 58°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 80°F | 58°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 80°F | 59°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 81°F | 59°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 81°F | 59°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 25 | 81°F | 59°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 26 | 81°F | 60°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 81°F | 60°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 82°F | 60°F | 37% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 82°F | 61°F | 37% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 82°F | 61°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 82°F | 61°F | 38% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 79°FMay average
- Normal low
- 57°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 4.13 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 27
- Days at 80°F or more
- 16
- Sunshine
- 74%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013891; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Knoxville in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 37% on average, highest around May 31 (38%). In all, 4.13 in falls on 11 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Knoxville, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013891.
How humid and windy is Knoxville in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 80°F with 52% relative humidity and a dew point of 61°F; at 6 a.m. it is 64°F with 90% humidity. The wind averages 5.7 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 64°F | 61°F | 90% | 3.4 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 71°F | 62°F | 73% | 5.7 mph | 40% |
| noon | 78°F | 62°F | 58% | 7.6 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 80°F | 61°F | 52% | 8.7 mph | 30% |
| 6 p.m. | 78°F | 61°F | 56% | 7.4 mph | – |
| 9 p.m. | 72°F | 62°F | 71% | 4.9 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013891. 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 Knoxville?
The warmest May temperature on Knoxville's official record (since 1871) is 96°F, on May 22, 1941; the coldest is 32°F, on May 4, 1986. The wettest May brought 10.98 in (1974).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 67.9°F: 2021 65.9°F (−2.0), 2022 70.9°F (+3.0), 2023 67.1°F (−0.8), 2024 70.0°F (+2.1), 2025 67.0°F (−0.9), 2026 68.7°F (+0.8). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65.9°F | −2.0°F | 3.62 in |
| 2022 | 70.9°F | +3.0°F | 4.77 in |
| 2023 | 67.1°F | −0.8°F | 1.32 in |
| 2024 | 70.0°F | +2.1°F | 8.52 in |
| 2025 | 67.0°F | −0.9°F | 7.63 in |
| 2026 | 68.7°F | +0.8°F | 4.67 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record TYSthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013891. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Knoxville compare across Tennessee?
Across the 116 places PlainClimate covers in Tennessee, May normal highs run from 71°F in Roan Mountain to 82°F in Collierville; Knoxville's is 79°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.