Winston-Salem weather in May: Winston-Salem, North Carolina: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
Winston-Salem in May has a normal high of 78°F and a normal low of 57°F, a daily mean of 68°F, rising from 75°F on the 1st to 81°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal May, 3.76 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 26°C and low of 14°C, 96 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationWinston Salem Rynlds Airport
- Station IDUSW00093807
- Location36.13°N 80.22°W
- Elevation970 ft (296 m)
- Population255,769
- Jan 49° 31°
- Feb 53° 33°
- Mar 61° 40°
- Apr 71° 48°
- May 78° 57°
- Jun 85° 65°
- Jul 88° 69°
- Aug 86° 68°
- Sep 80° 61°
- Oct 71° 49°
- Nov 60° 39°
- Dec 52° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Winston-Salem in May?
The normal high is 78°F and the normal low 57°F, for a daily mean of 67.5°F. May is 8.1°F warmer than April and 7.6°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in Winston-Salem and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 75°F on May 1 to 81°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 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 40%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 75°F | 53°F | 37% | 23% |
| May 8 | 76°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% |
| May 15 | 78°F | 57°F | 40% | 24% |
| May 22 | 79°F | 59°F | 40% | 24% |
| May 31 | 81°F | 62°F | 40% | 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 | 75°F | 53°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 2 | 75°F | 53°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 3 | 75°F | 53°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 4 | 75°F | 53°F | 37% | 23% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 5 | 76°F | 54°F | 38% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 6 | 76°F | 54°F | 38% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 7 | 76°F | 54°F | 38% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 8 | 76°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 9 | 76°F | 55°F | 38% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 10 | 77°F | 55°F | 39% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 11 | 77°F | 55°F | 39% | 23% | 14 h |
| May 12 | 77°F | 56°F | 39% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 13 | 77°F | 56°F | 39% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 14 | 77°F | 56°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 15 | 78°F | 57°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 16 | 78°F | 57°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h |
| May 17 | 78°F | 57°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 18 | 78°F | 58°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 19 | 79°F | 58°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 20 | 79°F | 58°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 21 | 79°F | 59°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 22 | 79°F | 59°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 10 min |
| May 23 | 79°F | 59°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 24 | 80°F | 59°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 25 | 80°F | 60°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 26 | 80°F | 60°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 27 | 80°F | 60°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 28 | 81°F | 61°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 29 | 81°F | 61°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 30 | 81°F | 61°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 20 min |
| May 31 | 81°F | 62°F | 40% | 24% | 14 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 78°FMay average
- Normal low
- 57°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 3.76 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1
- Daylight
- 13 h 40 min to 14 h 30 minMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 26
- Days at 80°F or more
- 15
- Sunshine
- 73%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093807; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Winston-Salem in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 39% on average, highest around May 20 (40%). In all, 3.76 in falls on 12 days of a normal May, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in Winston-Salem, 1 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093807.
What are the records for May in Winston-Salem?
The warmest May temperature on this station's record (since 1899) is 101°F, on May 28, 1941; the coldest is 30°F, on May 1, 1920. The wettest May brought 8.29 in (2025).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 67.5°F: 2021 66.4°F (−1.1), 2022 69.6°F (+2.1), 2023 65.6°F (−1.9), 2025 67.5°F (at normal). 1 of 4 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66.4°F | −1.1°F | 3.58 in |
| 2022 | 69.6°F | +2.1°F | 4.12 in |
| 2023 | 65.6°F | −1.9°F | 4.10 in |
| 2025 | 67.5°F | at normal | 8.29 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00093807; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093807. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in Winston-Salem 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; Winston-Salem's is 78°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Winston-Salem in April71°F by day, 48°F at night
- Winston-Salem in June85°F by day, 65°F at night
- Winston-Salem through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- North Carolina in MayThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Laurinburg: North Carolina's warmest Maynormal high 83°F