Nashville weather in May: Nashville, Tennessee: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May

Nashville in May has a normal high of 80°F and a normal low of 58°F, a daily mean of 69°F, rising from 77°F on the 1st to 84°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal May, 5.02 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

In metric: a normal high of 27°C and low of 15°C, 128 mm of precipitation in May.

  • NOAA stationNashville International Airport
  • Station IDUSW00013897
  • Location36.12°N 86.69°W
  • Elevation600 ft (183 m)
  • From the center6 miles
  • Population704,963
  1. Jan 49° 30°
  2. Feb 54° 33°
  3. Mar 63° 40°
  4. Apr 73° 49°
  5. May 80° 58°
  6. Jun 88° 66°
  7. Jul 91° 71°
  8. Aug 90° 69°
  9. Sep 84° 62°
  10. Oct 74° 50°
  11. Nov 61° 39°
  12. Dec 52° 33°

Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.

How warm is Nashville in May?

The normal high is 80°F and the normal low 58°F, for a daily mean of 69.3°F. May is 8.5°F warmer than April and 7.8°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Nashville and the wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 7°F, from 77°F on May 1 to 84°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 66°F and 72°F.

Nashville in May, day by day: normal high and low

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 39%).

Normal high and low on five days of May, with the chance of precipitation
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 in
May 177°F54°F39%27%
May 879°F56°F39%26%
May 1580°F58°F38%25%
May 2282°F60°F37%24%
May 3184°F63°F36%23%
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
Nashville: NOAA 1991-2020 daily normals for each day of May
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 inDaylight
May 177°F54°F39%27%13 h 40 min
May 277°F54°F39%27%13 h 40 min
May 377°F55°F39%27%13 h 40 min
May 478°F55°F39%27%13 h 40 min
May 578°F55°F39%27%13 h 50 min
May 678°F56°F39%27%13 h 50 min
May 778°F56°F39%26%13 h 50 min
May 879°F56°F39%26%13 h 50 min
May 979°F56°F38%26%13 h 50 min
May 1079°F57°F38%26%13 h 50 min
May 1179°F57°F38%26%14 h
May 1279°F57°F38%26%14 h
May 1380°F58°F38%26%14 h
May 1480°F58°F38%26%14 h
May 1580°F58°F38%25%14 h
May 1680°F58°F38%25%14 h
May 1781°F59°F37%25%14 h 10 min
May 1881°F59°F37%25%14 h 10 min
May 1981°F59°F37%25%14 h 10 min
May 2081°F60°F37%25%14 h 10 min
May 2182°F60°F37%24%14 h 10 min
May 2282°F60°F37%24%14 h 10 min
May 2382°F60°F37%24%14 h 20 min
May 2482°F61°F37%24%14 h 20 min
May 2583°F61°F37%24%14 h 20 min
May 2683°F61°F37%24%14 h 20 min
May 2783°F61°F36%24%14 h 20 min
May 2883°F62°F36%24%14 h 20 min
May 2984°F62°F36%24%14 h 20 min
May 3084°F62°F36%24%14 h 20 min
May 3184°F63°F36%23%14 h 30 min
Normal high
80°FMay average
Normal low
58°FMay average
Precipitation
5.02 inmonth total
Days with precipitation
120.01 inch or more
Days at 90°F or more
2
Daylight
13 h 40 min to 14 h 30 minMay 1 to May 31
Days at 70°F or more
27
Days at 80°F or more
17
Sunshine
75%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013897; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.

Does it rain in Nashville in May?

On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 38% on average, highest around May 1 (39%). In all, 5.02 in falls on 12 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.

In a normal May in Nashville, 2 days reach 90°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013897.

How humid and windy is Nashville in May?

At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 81°F with 51% relative humidity and a dew point of 61°F; at 6 a.m. it is 67°F with 84% humidity. The wind averages 6.3 mph, most often from the southwest in the afternoon.

A normal May day at the station, hour by hour (local standard time)
TimeTemperatureDew pointHumidityWindClear or few clouds
6 a.m.67°F62°F84%4.6 mph25%
9 a.m.75°F62°F64%7.1 mph21%
noon80°F62°F54%8.3 mph10%
3 p.m.81°F61°F51%8.6 mph9%
6 p.m.78°F61°F57%7.4 mph21%
9 p.m.72°F62°F72%5.2 mph34%

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013897. 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 Nashville?

The warmest May temperature on Nashville's official record (since 1873) is 96°F, on May 28, 1911; the coldest is 34°F, on May 2, 1963. The wettest May brought 16.43 in (2010).

The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 69.3°F: 2021 66.7°F (−2.6), 2022 72.1°F (+2.8), 2023 70.0°F (+0.7), 2024 72.2°F (+2.9), 2025 69.0°F (−0.3), 2026 70.1°F (+0.8). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.

Nashville: May in recent years against the 1991-2020 normal
MayMeanAgainst normalPrecip.
202166.7°F−2.6°F5.05 in
202272.1°F+2.8°F3.55 in
202370.0°F+0.7°F4.51 in
202472.2°F+2.9°F7.15 in
202569.0°F−0.3°F8.53 in
202670.1°F+0.8°F4.03 in

Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record BNAthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013897. Records and recent months use complete months only.

How does May in Nashville 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; Nashville's is 80°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.

Other months and places