FLORIDA · MAY · WES SKILES PEACOCK SPRINGS
Cross City’s thermometer averages 86.7°F on a May afternoon and 62.7°F before dawn. Those two readings shape a trip to Wes Skiles Peacock Springs this month: cool, bright mornings for the trail and the sinks, then a warm afternoon that pushes you into the shade.
You have already picked the park. The open question is the date: what May brings, what it holds back, and whether April or June would suit your trip better. The park itself, how to reach it and where to sleep live on our Peacock Springs guide. The statewide calendar is in the best time to visit Florida.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · WES SKILES PEACOCK SPRINGS · MAY
May gives Wes Skiles Peacock Springs 86.7°F afternoons with about half of June’s rain days, so start early and save the evenings for the long light.
AVG HIGH 86.7°F · 4.7 WET DAYS · SUNSET 8:20 P.M. EDT
Go for: warm, mostly dry days, early starts with more than 13 hours of light, and fewer wet days than June brings.
Think twice before: booking if afternoons in the upper 80s wear you out. April averages 80.1°F.
Climate: NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals, Cross City station · Light: sunrise-sunset.org · full sources at the end
On this page
- Weather in May86.7°F highs, 62.7°F lows, 4.7 wet days
- How warm it gets, morning to afternoonThe 24-degree daily swing and what to wear
- Crowds and prices in MayRoom prices, booking and the lodging tax
- Things to do in MayPeacock I, Orange Grove Sink and Troy Spring
- A two-day planTwo days around a 6:36 a.m. sunrise
- May vs April and JuneApril at 80.1°F, June at 7.00 inches of rain
- Is May a good time to go?Who should go, and the month to pick instead
Wes Skiles Peacock Springs sits in Suwannee County near Luraville, on Eastern time. In May that means daylight saving, so every clock time here is EDT. The park carries the name of Wes Skiles, the cave diver and underwater filmmaker who explored these passages.
Wes Skiles Peacock Springs weather in May: average highs, lows and rain days
| May normal (Cross City, 1991–2020) | Value |
|---|---|
| Average high | 86.7°F (30.4°C) |
| Average low | 62.7°F (17.1°C) |
| Precipitation | 2.74 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 4.7 |
| Daylight on May 15 | 13 h 43 min |
Our climate figures are NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information normals for 1991–2020 at station USW00012833 in Cross City. Every figure here comes from that one thermometer: an average May high of 86.7°F, an average low of 62.7°F and 2.74 inches of precipitation. It is a measured station record rather than a reanalysis grid cell. Cross City also serves Troy Spring on the same reach of the Suwannee, so read these numbers as the weather of the river valley and not as a reading taken beside the spring itself.
An average May logs 4.7 days with at least 0.10 inch of rain, so you can expect measurable rain about one day in seven. Over a two-night weekend the odds favor dry days. When rain does arrive, move the trail walk or the sink visit to the other half of the day, and keep a rain shell in the car so a wet spell costs you an hour of your trip, not the whole day.
Pack for both ends of the day. A light fleece or long sleeves covers a 6:30 a.m. start in the low 60s. For the afternoon, bring breathable shirts, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and more water than feels necessary. A dry bag in the trunk keeps a spare set of clothes ready after any time in or near the water.
On May 15 the valley gets about 13 hours 43 minutes of daylight. The sun rises at 6:36 a.m. EDT and sets at 8:20 p.m., so there is enough light for a full morning outdoors and an unhurried evening at the water after the heat eases.
How warm is Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in May?
May averages range from 62.7°F (17.1°C) at night to 86.7°F (30.4°C) in the afternoon, a spread of 24 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 13 degrees Celsius. Both are air temperatures from Cross City. Our sources gave us no water-temperature reading for the springs, so we give no water figure. Any sea-surface table would not apply here anyway, since this is an inland spring.
In practice, mornings are for moving. Walk the trail and look into the sinks while the air is still in the 60s and 70s, wearing that long-sleeve layer until mid-morning. By early afternoon the high is closing in on 86.7°F. Change into a light shirt and shorts, plan for shade, and put the most strenuous part of the day behind you before lunch.
We did not find a count of freezing nights for May at Cross City, so we give none. For scale, the average low of 62.7°F sits 30.7 degrees above freezing. Leave the winter coat at home and bring a fleece.
Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in May: crowds and prices
On the calendar, May opens Florida’s wet season, which runs May through October, as our Florida orientation explains. That describes the season. It does not rank prices: we found no occupancy series or monthly room rates for the Suwannee valley, so we crown no month cheap or expensive.
Without booking data we give no lead time in weeks. Reserve a refundable room as soon as your dates are set, and compare bases on our where-to-stay guide. If you are flying in, our Florida flights guide sorts the airports and the drive time from each.
We could not verify the Suwannee County tourist-development tax rate, so we give no percentage. Ask for the total price with all taxes and fees before you confirm, and compare that final figure rather than the nightly rate.
With afternoons near 86.7°F and nights that stay in the low 60s, the one place where spending more changes a May trip is the room: reliable air conditioning, and a porch or rail to dry wet gear overnight. Our Florida trip-cost guide covers the rest of the budget.
Things to do in Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in May
May offers long light and a manageable rain risk together. You get 13 hours 43 minutes of daylight at mid-month, with 4.7 wet days on average against June’s 9.1. That leaves room for a dawn walk, a morning at the sinks and an evening stop at a second spring, all in one day.
The park is famous among cave divers. Its named entrances include Peacock I, Orange Grove Sink and Olsen Sink, with a forest trail connecting the sites above ground. Troy Spring, a short drive away on the same reach of the Suwannee, makes a natural second stop. We could not verify current fees, opening hours or parking capacity at either park, so we quote none. Check with Florida State Parks before you drive, especially if you plan to dive.
Spring water holds a nearly steady temperature through the year. The air above it changes with the month. The average high climbs 6.6°F from April to May, and the average low rises 7.7°F. So the water you see in May is essentially the water you would see in April, but the walk to reach it is noticeably warmer.
We could not confirm park entrance fees for May, so we list nothing as free. The sunset hour is one thing no one charges for: 8:20 p.m. EDT on May 15, with the river valley still warm after dark.
Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in May: a two-day itinerary
Day one. Be up for the 6:36 a.m. sunrise and at the park when the gate opens. Walk the forest trail first while it is still cool, then spend the late morning at Orange Grove Sink and Peacock I. Around midday, as the air nears 86.7°F, head indoors for lunch and a break. Drive to Troy Spring in the late afternoon and stay until the light fades around 8:20 p.m.
Day two. Go back for the sites you skipped, or scout Olsen Sink, and aim to finish outdoor time by early afternoon so you can start the drive home rested. If rain or thunder rolls in, get out of the water and off open ground, then wait it out in the car. With 4.7 wet days in an average May, a rain day usually means reshuffling, not canceling. Our Florida safety guide covers lightning and heat, and the road-trip guide suggests where to go next.
Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in May vs April and June
| Cross City normal, 1991–2020 | April | May | June |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 80.1°F | 86.7°F | 89.5°F |
| Average low | 55.0°F | 62.7°F | 70.6°F |
| Precipitation | 2.90 in | 2.74 in | 7.00 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 4.1 | 4.7 | 9.1 |
From April to May, the average high rises from 80.1°F to 86.7°F and the low from 55.0°F to 62.7°F. May’s total rain is slightly lower, 2.74 inches against 2.90, although it spreads over 4.7 wet days instead of 4.1. June adds just 2.8°F to the high but lifts the low by 7.9°F, to 70.6°F. Its rain total jumps to 7.00 inches, about two and a half times May’s, over 9.1 wet days.
Shift four weeks earlier and you get milder afternoons and 55.0°F mornings that call for a real jacket. Shift four weeks later and nights stay above 70°F, while the number of wet days nearly doubles. If you want your days outdoors to go to plan, the rain is what you give up by moving to June.
Is May a good time to visit Wes Skiles Peacock Springs?
Yes, if you are an early riser who wants warm days and a low rain count: divers, hikers and anyone planning a weekend of springs along the Suwannee. It is a harder sell for travelers who flag in the mid-80s, and for families who can only get outside in the afternoon, when the high is at its peak. Our Florida with kids guide covers how to pace the heat.
If May is too warm for you, choose April. The high averages 80.1°F, it has 4.1 wet days, and its 2.90 inches of rain is close to May’s 2.74. The trade-off is a 55.0°F morning, which means a sweater at the car and a cooler start to the trail.
Of the three months, May is the only one that pairs highs above 86°F with less rain than April.
The last word
Book May if you will trade a warm afternoon for a dry morning, and set the alarm for the 6:36 a.m. sunrise. One figure to keep in mind: in an average May at Cross City, just 0.9 day brings an inch of rain or more. A single real downpour is the most you should plan around, and a rain shell in the trunk handles it.
Sources & data for this guide
- May, April and June normals (highs, lows, precipitation, days at 0.10 in and 1 in) · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991–2020, station USW00012833, Cross City · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Station scope · the Cross City station also serves Troy Spring on the same reach of the Suwannee, and its readings are not taken at the spring · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on May 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to EDT (UTC−4) · checked Sep 24, 2026
- We could not verify spring-water temperature, park fees, opening hours, parking capacity or the county lodging-tax rate, and we found no occupancy or room-rate series, so none are quoted · check Florida State Parks and your lodging when you book.
- Celsius conversions and the differences between months are our own arithmetic from the NOAA figures.
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Wes Skiles Peacock Springs: Weather, Rain and the Quiet Months
- Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in April: Weather, Rain Days and How It Compares With March and May
- Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in June: Weather, Rain Days, Crowds and May vs July
- Wes Skiles Peacock Springs in March: Weather, Freezing Nights and a Two-Day Plan