What Is The Typical Weather We See In May?

As the last month of meteorological spring, May brings quite the mix of seasons with hints of summer and nods to a lingering winter.

From tornadoes and tropics to snow and soaring temperatures, May has it all.

Let's take a look at some of the typical weather changes we expect this month.

1. Peak Month For Tornadoes

In comparison to earlier in the spring, the area where the ingredients for tornadoes has the best chance of coming together shifts farther north and west toward the Plains and parts of the Midwest. But tornadoes are also possible all the way to the East Coast.

The average number of May tornadoes in the U.S. is 278, which is higher than any other month. It's important to note, though, that since these are averages, the actual tornadic outcome can be higher or lower in a given year.

Violent tornadoes (EF4 to EF5 damage) are also more likely to occur this time of year.

2. Hurricane Season Can Get An Early Start

Even though Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1, tropical and subtropical storms occasionally form before then.

We most commonly see early tropical development in the western Caribbean and off the southeastern U.S. coast.

From 1851 to 2025, 37 storms formed in the Atlantic Basin before June 1, which averages out to seeing one early storm every four to five years.

The most recent May storm was Ana in 2021, which didn't affect land. But some recent May storms have brought at least minor impacts to the United States, including Arthur and Bertha in 2020 and Alberto in 2018.

3. Snow In May?!

While snow may seem firmly in the rearview for many by the time May rolls around, it's typical to still see snow across the higher elevations in the western U.S., the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Alaska this time of year.

But on occasion, parts of the Plains, Midwest, Appalachians and Northeast can see snowflakes this month, including in lower elevations.

In 2024, Donner Summit, California, saw 26.4 inches of snow May 4-5, making it that location's snowiest 24-hour period of the entire season. In the East, May 2023 featured a historic snowstorm in the higher elevations of West Virginia and central Pennsylvania.

4. Temperatures Continue To Rise

A gradual warmup across the country is another sign of May's seasonal shift from spring to summer.

The South typically starts to see high temperatures in the 80s while parts of the Midwest and mid-Atlantic hit the 70s. Much of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains and Northeast linger in the 50s and 60s.

Chicago experiences about a 10-degree temperature increase in its average high from May 1 to 31, rising from 65 degrees to 76. Meanwhile, Dallas sees its average high jump from 79 degrees on May 1 to 88 degrees by the end of the month.

Caitlin Kaiser graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with both an undergraduate and graduate degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences before starting her career as a digital meteorologist with weather.com.