Caen weather in May

In May, Caen sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 58 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 15 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Caen's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Caen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
5:25 AM – 8:30 PM
Cloud cover
69%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Caen is commune in Calvados, France.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,304/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Caen reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1168
2168
3168
4168
5169
6169
7179
8179
9179
10179
11179
12179
13179
14179
15179
161810
171810
181810
191810
201810
211810
221810
231910
241910
251910
261911
271911
281911
291911
301911
311911

How May really feels in Caen

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Caen weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5911.50.58.51.3
Feb / 5111.10.89.81.6
Mar12° / 5411.30.411.62.9
Apr15° / 5611.70.113.44.1
May18° / 10°5811.40155.3
Jun21° / 12°6210.5015.96.1
Jul23° / 14°5510.9015.66.6
Aug23° / 14°6010.1014.26.7
Sep20° / 12°539.7012.46.2
Oct16° / 6512.3010.54.6
Nov11° / 6612.808.92.6
Dec / 7413.30.58.11.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42872
52872
62872
72773
82872
92872
102872
113070
123070
133070
143169
153268
163268
173268
183268
193268
203367
213367
223367
233367
243466
253466
263466
273367
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Caen gets around 58 mm of rain over 11.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 38% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
341
440
539
638
737
836
936
1036
1136
1237
1337
1437
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2139
2239
2338
2438
2538
2637
2737
2837
2937
3036
3137

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29730
39730
49640
59640
69550
79550
89550
99460
109460
119460
129460
139370
149370
159271
169271
179181
189181
199181
209091
2189101
2289101
2388111
2487121
2585132
2684142
2783152
2882162
2981172
3080182
3180182

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of May to 15 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 8:08 PM to 8:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:498:08
214.45:478:10
314.45:458:11
414.55:448:13
514.55:428:14
614.65:408:16
714.65:398:17
814.75:378:19
914.75:368:20
1014.85:348:22
1114.85:328:23
1214.95:318:25
1314.95:298:26
1415.05:288:27
1515.05:278:29
1615.15:258:30
1715.15:248:31
1815.25:238:33
1915.25:218:34
2015.35:208:35
2115.35:198:37
2215.35:188:38
2315.45:178:39
2415.45:168:41
2515.55:148:42
2615.55:138:43
2715.55:138:44
2815.65:128:45
2915.65:118:46
3015.65:108:48
3115.75:098:49

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.41 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Caen?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Caen for sightseeing.

What to pack for Caen in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Caen sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Caen in May

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Caen in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Caen peaks around June 18 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 18UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Caen?

Caen sits at 49.2°N, 0.4°W, 21 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Hérouville-Saint-Clair, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Caen

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Caen.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Caen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 33 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 m.

The land around Caen is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, cropland (53%) within 16 km, and grassland (31%), cropland (29%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
181 m
80 km
459 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Hérouville-Saint-Clair 5.0 km · Bayeux 27 km · Deauville 36 km · Lisieux 43 km · Le Havre 48 km · Flers 52 km · Saint-Lô 54 km · Argentan 55 km

France travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 77% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$48,986
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 539
Religion
Roman Catholic 47%none 33%Muslim 4%Protestant 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Caen (49.1859°, -0.3591°, elevation 21 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).