Chamonix weather in May

In May, Chamonix sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 182 mm of precipitation across 20.1 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Chamonix's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chamonix's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
182 mm
20.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
5:07 AM – 7:51 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Chamonix is commune in Haute-Savoie, France.

Density
91/km²
people per km²
Founded
1091

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 10°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical May day in Chamonix reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
190
290
3100
4100
5100
6100
7101
8101
9111
10111
11111
12111
13111
14111
15112
16122
17122
18122
19122
20122
21122
22133
23133
24133
25133
26133
27133
28144
29144
30144
31144

How May really feels in Chamonix

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Chamonix weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -11°17413.613.98.90.0
Feb-1° / -10°14411.912.3100.0
Mar / -6°14213.913.211.60.0
Apr / -3°12415.410.313.30.7
May12° / 18220.15.714.72.3
Jun16° / 16319.4115.53.8
Jul18° / 16719.10.515.24.7
Aug17° / 15717.80.3144.7
Sep14° / 12315.12.112.33.5
Oct10° / 12112.74.810.72.0
Nov / -6°14613.711.59.30.1
Dec-2° / -10°17814148.50.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33070
43070
53169
63070
73070
83070
92971
102872
112872
122971
132971
142971
153070
163070
173169
183169
193268
203268
213367
223367
233466
243466
253466
263466
273367
283367
293367
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Chamonix gets around 182 mm of rain and snow over 20.1 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 65% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16228
26227
36327
46326
56325
66324
76323
86323
96322
106321
116321
126320
136319
146319
156419
166418
176418
186417
196417
206416
216516
226515
236615
246614
256713
266713
276812
286811
296910
307010
31709

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:28 AM to 4:53 AM, and sunset from 7:32 PM to 8:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:287:32
214.15:267:33
314.25:257:34
414.25:237:36
514.35:227:37
614.35:207:38
714.35:197:39
814.45:177:41
914.45:167:42
1014.55:147:43
1114.55:137:45
1214.65:127:46
1314.65:107:47
1414.75:097:48
1514.75:087:50
1614.75:077:51
1714.85:067:52
1814.85:057:53
1914.85:037:54
2014.95:027:55
2114.95:017:57
2215.05:007:58
2315.04:597:59
2415.04:588:00
2515.14:578:01
2615.14:578:02
2715.14:568:03
2815.24:558:04
2915.24:548:05
3015.24:548:06
3115.24:538:07

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Chamonix?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chamonix.

What to pack for Chamonix in May

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

In May, Chamonix sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Chamonix in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chamonix peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chamonix?

Chamonix sits at 45.9°N, 6.9°E, 0 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Sallanches, 19 km away.

Topography around Chamonix

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chamonix has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,463 m around an average of 1,562 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,245 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,495 m.

The land around Chamonix is covered by trees (61%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, trees (28%), grassland (26%) and snow and ice (24%) within 16 km, and trees (41%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,463 m
16 km
4,245 m
80 km
4,495 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
May weather nearby: Sallanches 19 km · Martigny-Ville 25 km · Cluses 27 km · Monthey 37 km · Aosta 40 km · Albertville 46 km · Sitten 50 km · Annecy-le-Vieux 56 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 Chamonix (45.9237°, 6.8693°, elevation 0 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. 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).