Sanford weather in May: Sanford, North Carolina: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Sanford in May has a normal high of 81°F and a normal low of 56°F, a daily mean of 69°F, rising from 78°F on the 1st to 84°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 9 days in a normal May, 3.53 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 27°C and low of 13°C, 90 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationSanford (8 mi NE)
- Station IDUSC00317656
- Location35.54°N 79.05°W
- Elevation262 ft (80 m)
- From the center8 miles
- Population32,971
- Jan 53° 31°
- Feb 57° 33°
- Mar 65° 39°
- Apr 75° 47°
- May 81° 56°
- Jun 87° 64°
- Jul 90° 69°
- Aug 88° 67°
- Sep 83° 61°
- Oct 74° 49°
- Nov 63° 38°
- Dec 55° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Sanford in May?
The normal high is 81°F and the normal low 56°F, for a daily mean of 68.5°F. May is 7.4°F warmer than April and 7.3°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Sanford and the 7th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 78°F on May 1 to 84°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 66°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 29%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 78°F | 52°F | 29% | 19% |
| May 8 | 79°F | 54°F | 29% | 19% |
| May 15 | 81°F | 56°F | 29% | 19% |
| May 22 | 82°F | 58°F | 29% | 19% |
| May 31 | 84°F | 61°F | 29% | 20% |
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 | 52°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 79°F | 52°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 79°F | 52°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 79°F | 53°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 79°F | 53°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 6 | 79°F | 53°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 79°F | 54°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 79°F | 54°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 80°F | 54°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 80°F | 55°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 80°F | 55°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 12 | 80°F | 55°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 80°F | 55°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 80°F | 56°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 81°F | 56°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 81°F | 56°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 81°F | 57°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h |
| May 18 | 81°F | 57°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 19 | 81°F | 57°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 81°F | 57°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 82°F | 58°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 82°F | 58°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 82°F | 58°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 24 | 82°F | 59°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 25 | 82°F | 59°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 26 | 83°F | 59°F | 29% | 19% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 83°F | 59°F | 29% | 20% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 83°F | 60°F | 29% | 20% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 83°F | 60°F | 29% | 20% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 83°F | 60°F | 29% | 20% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 84°F | 61°F | 29% | 20% | 14 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 81°FMay average
- Normal low
- 56°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 3.53 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 90.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4
- 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
- 20
- Sunshine
- 77%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00317656; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Sanford in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 29% on average, highest around May 17 (29%). In all, 3.53 in falls on 9 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Sanford, 4 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00317656.
What are the records for May in Sanford?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1972) is 96°F, on May 31, 1991; the coldest is 29°F, on May 4, 1986. The wettest May brought 8.03 in (2020).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 68.5°F: 2021 66.9°F (−1.6), 2022 70.7°F (+2.2), 2023 65.8°F (−2.7), 2024 70.4°F (+1.9), 2025 69.9°F (+1.4), 2026 69.9°F (+1.4). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66.9°F | −1.6°F | 3.06 in |
| 2022 | 70.7°F | +2.2°F | 6.87 in |
| 2023 | 65.8°F | −2.7°F | 2.91 in |
| 2024 | 70.4°F | +1.9°F | 5.24 in |
| 2025 | 69.9°F | +1.4°F | 7.29 in |
| 2026 | 69.9°F | +1.4°F | 5.47 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00317656; recent months: ACIS, station USC00317656. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Sanford 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; Sanford's is 81°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.