New Bern weather in May: New Bern, North Carolina: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May

New Bern in May has a normal high of 80°F and a normal low of 59°F, a daily mean of 70°F, rising from 78°F on the 1st to 83°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal May, 4.25 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

In metric: a normal high of 27°C and low of 15°C, 108 mm of precipitation in May.

  • NOAA stationNew Bern - Coastal Carolina Regional Airport
  • Station IDUSW00093719
  • Location35.07°N 77.05°W
  • Elevation19 ft (6 m)
  • Population34,218
  1. Jan 55° 34°
  2. Feb 59° 36°
  3. Mar 65° 42°
  4. Apr 74° 50°
  5. May 80° 59°
  6. Jun 87° 67°
  7. Jul 90° 71°
  8. Aug 88° 70°
  9. Sep 83° 65°
  10. Oct 75° 54°
  11. Nov 66° 43°
  12. Dec 59° 37°

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

How warm is New Bern in May?

The normal high is 80°F and the normal low 59°F, for a daily mean of 69.5°F. May is 7.7°F warmer than April and 7.5°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in New Bern and the 5th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 5°F, from 78°F on May 1 to 83°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.7°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 67°F and 72°F.

New Bern 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 36%).

Normal high and low on five days of May, with the chance of precipitation
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 in
May 178°F54°F32%20%
May 879°F56°F33%21%
May 1580°F58°F34%22%
May 2282°F60°F35%23%
May 3183°F63°F36%25%
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
New Bern: NOAA 1991-2020 daily normals for each day of May
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 inDaylight
May 178°F54°F32%20%13 h 30 min
May 278°F55°F32%20%13 h 40 min
May 378°F55°F32%20%13 h 40 min
May 478°F55°F32%20%13 h 40 min
May 578°F56°F32%20%13 h 40 min
May 679°F56°F33%20%13 h 40 min
May 779°F56°F33%21%13 h 50 min
May 879°F56°F33%21%13 h 50 min
May 979°F57°F33%21%13 h 50 min
May 1079°F57°F33%21%13 h 50 min
May 1179°F57°F33%21%13 h 50 min
May 1280°F58°F33%21%13 h 50 min
May 1380°F58°F33%21%14 h
May 1480°F58°F34%22%14 h
May 1580°F58°F34%22%14 h
May 1680°F59°F34%22%14 h
May 1781°F59°F34%22%14 h
May 1881°F59°F35%23%14 h
May 1981°F60°F35%23%14 h
May 2081°F60°F35%23%14 h 10 min
May 2181°F60°F35%23%14 h 10 min
May 2282°F60°F35%23%14 h 10 min
May 2382°F61°F35%23%14 h 10 min
May 2482°F61°F35%24%14 h 10 min
May 2582°F61°F35%24%14 h 10 min
May 2682°F62°F36%24%14 h 10 min
May 2783°F62°F36%24%14 h 20 min
May 2883°F62°F36%25%14 h 20 min
May 2983°F63°F36%25%14 h 20 min
May 3083°F63°F36%25%14 h 20 min
May 3183°F63°F36%25%14 h 20 min
Normal high
80°FMay average
Normal low
59°FMay average
Precipitation
4.25 inmonth total
Days with precipitation
110.01 inch or more
Days at 90°F or more
3
Daylight
13 h 30 min to 14 h 20 minMay 1 to May 31
Days at 70°F or more
28
Days at 80°F or more
19
Sunshine
78%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093719; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.

Does it rain in New Bern in May?

On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 34% on average, highest around May 31 (36%). In all, 4.25 in falls on 11 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.

In a normal May in New Bern, 3 days reach 90°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093719.

How humid and windy is New Bern in May?

At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 82°F with 55% relative humidity and a dew point of 64°F; at 6 a.m. it is 67°F with 90% humidity. The wind averages 6.4 mph, most often from the south 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°F64°F90%4.4 mph66%
9 a.m.76°F65°F69%7.6 mph60%
noon81°F64°F56%8.2 mph55%
3 p.m.82°F64°F55%8.9 mph58%
6 p.m.78°F64°F63%8.6 mph68%
9 p.m.71°F65°F81%5.2 mph74%

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093719. 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 New Bern?

The warmest May temperature on New Bern's official record (since 1933) is 100°F, on May 26, 1953; the coldest is 32°F, on May 2, 1963. The wettest May brought 10.10 in (2003).

The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 69.5°F: 2021 68.7°F (−0.8), 2022 72.3°F (+2.8), 2023 66.7°F (−2.8), 2024 72.5°F (+3.0), 2025 72.5°F (+3.0), 2026 69.4°F (−0.1). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.

New Bern: May in recent years against the 1991-2020 normal
MayMeanAgainst normalPrecip.
202168.7°F−0.8°F1.31 in
202272.3°F+2.8°F8.03 in
202366.7°F−2.8°F4.59 in
202472.5°F+3.0°F3.92 in
202572.5°F+3.0°F8.38 in
202669.4°F−0.1°F2.42 in

Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record EWNthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093719. Records and recent months use complete months only.

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

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

Other months and places