Climate averages 1991–2020
Wilmington (North Carolina), United States weather
in May.
A warm, wet month: the 5th warmest and the 5th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Wilmington (North Carolina), United States: daytime highs average 24.9°C and nights cool to about 17.8°C. By daytime temperature it is the 5th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 93 mm of rain on roughly 11 days, which makes May a wet month (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 13 h 56 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Fayetteville (125 km away). In May its highs average 26.6°C, 1.7°C warmer than Wilmington (North Carolina), United States, with 84 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Wilmington (North Carolina), United States ranks joint 201st of 498 for the warmest May highs and joint 317th of 498 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 498 cities is 23.8°C; Wilmington (North Carolina), United States is 1.1°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 3.3°C to 28.2°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 93 mm to 125 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
Wilmington (North Carolina), United States climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12.8°C5.2°C | 5.2°C | 91 | 9.3 | 10.110 h |
| February | 14.2°C6.2°C | 6.2°C | 88 | 8.8 | 10.911 h |
| March | 17.0°C9.0°C | 9.0°C | 101 | 9.2 | 11.912 h |
| April | 21.0°C13.3°C | 13.3°C | 82 | 8.1 | 13.013 h |
| May, selected | 24.9°C17.8°C | 17.8°C | 93 | 10.5 | 13.914 h |
| June | 28.2°C22.0°C | 22.0°C | 125 | 14.5 | 14.414 h |
| July | 29.7°C24.0°C | 24.0°C | 159 | 17.6 | 14.214 h |
| August | 29.0°C23.4°C | 23.4°C | 183 | 17.4 | 13.413 h |
| September | 26.8°C21.1°C | 21.1°C | 166 | 13.4 | 12.412 h |
| October | 22.7°C15.9°C | 15.9°C | 100 | 8.1 | 11.411 h |
| November | 17.9°C10.6°C | 10.6°C | 89 | 8.0 | 10.410 h |
| December | 14.5°C7.1°C | 7.1°C | 97 | 9.1 | 9.910 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
- Fayetteville in MayUnited States · 125 kmHigh 26.6°C · Low 16.1°C · 84 mm rain
- Greenville in MayUnited States · 162 kmHigh 25.7°C · Low 15.7°C · 94 mm rain
- Raleigh in MayUnited States · 182 kmHigh 25.7°C · Low 15.4°C · 90 mm rain
- Cary in MayUnited States · 189 kmHigh 25.3°C · Low 15.2°C · 90 mm rain
- Durham in MayUnited States · 214 kmHigh 25.4°C · Low 14.7°C · 88 mm rain
- North Charleston in MayUnited States · 243 kmHigh 27.1°C · Low 18.5°C · 68 mm rain
- Charleston in MayUnited States · 245 kmHigh 26.2°C · Low 19.5°C · 68 mm rain
- Greensboro in MayUnited States · 264 kmHigh 24.9°C · Low 14.1°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 Wilmington) is explained once on the Wilmington (North Carolina), United States year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.