Wilmington weather in May: Wilmington, Delaware: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Wilmington in May has a normal high of 74°F and a normal low of 53°F, a daily mean of 64°F, rising from 70°F on the 1st to 78°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal May, 3.57 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 23°C and low of 12°C, 91 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationWilmington Airport
- Station IDUSW00013781
- Location39.67°N 75.60°W
- Elevation79 ft (24 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population73,176
- Jan 41° 26°
- Feb 44° 27°
- Mar 53° 34°
- Apr 64° 44°
- May 74° 53°
- Jun 82° 63°
- Jul 87° 68°
- Aug 85° 67°
- Sep 79° 59°
- Oct 67° 47°
- Nov 56° 37°
- Dec 46° 30°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Wilmington in May?
The normal high is 74°F and the normal low 53°F, for a daily mean of 63.5°F. May is 9.6°F warmer than April and 9.1°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Wilmington and the 8th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 8°F, from 70°F on May 1 to 78°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 3.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 61°F and 67°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 39%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 70°F | 49°F | 38% | 22% |
| May 8 | 72°F | 51°F | 39% | 22% |
| May 15 | 73°F | 53°F | 39% | 23% |
| May 22 | 75°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% |
| May 31 | 78°F | 58°F | 37% | 23% |
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 | 70°F | 49°F | 38% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 2 | 70°F | 49°F | 38% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 3 | 70°F | 49°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 4 | 71°F | 50°F | 38% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 5 | 71°F | 50°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 6 | 71°F | 50°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 7 | 71°F | 51°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h |
| May 8 | 72°F | 51°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 9 | 72°F | 51°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 10 | 72°F | 52°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 11 | 72°F | 52°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 12 | 73°F | 52°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 13 | 73°F | 53°F | 39% | 22% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 14 | 73°F | 53°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 15 | 73°F | 53°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 16 | 74°F | 53°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 17 | 74°F | 54°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 18 | 74°F | 54°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 19 | 74°F | 54°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 20 | 75°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 21 | 75°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 22 | 75°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 23 | 75°F | 56°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 30 min |
| May 24 | 76°F | 56°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 25 | 76°F | 56°F | 38% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 26 | 76°F | 57°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 27 | 76°F | 57°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 28 | 77°F | 57°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 29 | 77°F | 58°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 30 | 77°F | 58°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
| May 31 | 78°F | 58°F | 37% | 23% | 14 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 74°FMay average
- Normal low
- 53°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 3.57 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 50 min to 14 h 40 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 21
- Days at 80°F or more
- 8
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013781; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Wilmington in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 38% on average, highest around May 9 (39%). In all, 3.57 in falls on 12 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Wilmington, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013781.
What are the records for May in Wilmington?
The warmest May temperature on Wilmington's official record (since 1894) is 98°F, on May 30, 1895; the coldest is 30°F, on May 1, 1978. The wettest May brought 7.38 in (1983).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 63.5°F: 2021 62.7°F (−0.8), 2022 65.8°F (+2.3), 2023 62.7°F (−0.8), 2024 65.3°F (+1.8), 2025 64.5°F (+1.0), 2026 64.3°F (+0.8). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62.7°F | −0.8°F | 3.03 in |
| 2022 | 65.8°F | +2.3°F | 2.96 in |
| 2023 | 62.7°F | −0.8°F | 0.20 in |
| 2024 | 65.3°F | +1.8°F | 2.17 in |
| 2025 | 64.5°F | +1.0°F | 6.73 in |
| 2026 | 64.3°F | +0.8°F | 3.33 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record ILGthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013781. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Wilmington compare across Delaware?
Across the 6 places PlainClimate covers in Delaware, May normal highs run from 73°F in Greenwood to 76°F in Newark; Wilmington's is 74°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.