Climate averages 1991–2020
Richmond weather
in May.
A warm, moderately wet month: the 5th warmest and the joint 2nd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Richmond: daytime highs average 24.4°C and nights cool to about 14.1°C. By daytime temperature it is the 5th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 82 mm of rain on roughly 11 days, which makes May a moderately wet month (the joint 2nd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 14 h 10 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Newport News (111 km away). In May its highs average 24.2°C, about as warm as Richmond, with 94 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Richmond ranks joint 219th of 498 for the warmest May highs and joint 228th of 498 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 498 cities is 23.8°C; Richmond is 0.6°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 4.5°C to 28.8°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 82 mm to 97 mm.
The annual picture
May in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Richmond climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.9°C-0.8°C | -0.8°C | 85 | 9.2 | 9.910 h |
| February | 9.8°C-0.2°C | -0.2°C | 75 | 8.3 | 10.811 h |
| March | 14.1°C3.5°C | 3.5°C | 101 | 10.1 | 11.912 h |
| April | 19.9°C8.9°C | 8.9°C | 82 | 9.5 | 13.113 h |
| May, selected | 24.4°C14.1°C | 14.1°C | 82 | 11.0 | 14.214 h |
| June | 28.8°C18.9°C | 18.9°C | 97 | 11.2 | 14.715 h |
| July | 31.1°C21.6°C | 21.6°C | 106 | 13.0 | 14.514 h |
| August | 29.9°C20.6°C | 20.6°C | 109 | 10.8 | 13.614 h |
| September | 26.3°C17.3°C | 17.3°C | 112 | 9.3 | 12.512 h |
| October | 20.5°C11.1°C | 11.1°C | 93 | 7.6 | 11.311 h |
| November | 14.4°C5.2°C | 5.2°C | 82 | 7.8 | 10.210 h |
| December | 9.7°C1.1°C | 1.1°C | 89 | 8.8 | 9.610 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
May in nearby cities
- Newport News in MayUnited States · 111 kmHigh 24.2°C · Low 15.0°C · 94 mm rain
- East Hampton in MayUnited States · 115 kmHigh 23.4°C · Low 15.3°C · 90 mm rain
- Suffolk in MayUnited States · 120 kmHigh 24.8°C · Low 15.0°C · 97 mm rain
- Portsmouth Heights in MayUnited States · 126 kmHigh 24.5°C · Low 14.9°C · 95 mm rain
- Norfolk in MayUnited States · 130 kmHigh 24.0°C · Low 14.9°C · 95 mm rain
- Centreville in MayUnited States · 143 kmHigh 23.0°C · Low 13.3°C · 95 mm rain
- Alexandria, United States in MayUnited States · 144 kmHigh 23.5°C · Low 13.6°C · 91 mm rain
- Lynchburg in MayUnited States · 149 kmHigh 24.0°C · Low 13.6°C · 88 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Richmond) is explained once on the Richmond year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.