United States

New Orleans in May

Historical averages 2016–2025 · not a forecast

May weather in New Orleans

May in New Orleans averages daily highs of 28°C and lows of 22°C, with 11 hours of sunshine a day and rain on about 11 of 31 days.

Daily high
28°C average
Overnight low
22°C average
Rain days
11 of 31 days with at least 1 mm (36% rain-day chance)
Sunshine
11 hours a day
Daylight
14 hours calculated day length

The destination guideSeasonal guide

New Orleans in May

May in New Orleans: average highs of 28°C, lows of 22°C and 11 hours of sunshine a day. A starting point for planning around the historical weather.

May in New Orleans, United States, brings average daily highs of 28°C and overnight lows of 22°C in the 2016–2025 historical record. Light clothing is a useful starting point, with room in the plan to pause indoors. Decide how much walking to fit into each day using the local forecast, rather than treating the monthly average as a limit.

In the record, at least 1 mm of rain or snow falls on 11 of 31 days on average, a daily chance of 36%. Give wet-weather alternatives a proper place in the itinerary. Arrange outdoor plans so you can move them between days, and pack a rain layer rather than relying on a completely dry run of weather.

The calculated day length, sunrise to sunset, averages about 14 hours. Sunshine averages 11 hours a day. The longer daylight window gives you more choice about when to be outside; it does not mean every part of the day will be sunny. Sunshine is a separate measure, and those hours need not arrive in one uninterrupted stretch.

For a culture-focused visit, group the places you want to see into manageable areas, with time between stops. Check each venue's opening dates before fixing the order. If food is a reason for the trip, leave time around meals rather than filling every gap with another journey. Check the places you choose for current opening hours.

June has an average daily high of 31°C, 3°C higher than May. Its historical rain-day chance is 54%, compared with 36% this month. If your dates are flexible, compare those trade-offs with the kind of days you want. Neither set of averages predicts the conditions of one particular holiday.

Sources

Open-Meteo · 1 Jan 2016 – 31 Dec 2025
  • Open-Meteo Historical Weather API
  • Averages of every day in May, on local days. Every year is weighted equally.
  • A rain day has at least 1 mm, snow included. Daylight is calculated from latitude, sunrise to sunset; sunshine hours are separate.