Cognac weather in May

In May, Cognac sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 69 mm of rain across 11.8 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cognac's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cognac's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
5:36 AM – 8:19 PM
Cloud cover
64%
7th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM10 15.9 µg/m³ · 2018

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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Cognac reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1189
2189
3199
4199
5199
61910
71910
81910
91910
101910
112010
122010
132010
142010
152010
162010
172011
182111
192111
202111
212111
222111
232111
242111
252212
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312212

How May really feels in Cognac

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.

Cognac weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7611.50.58.91.8
Feb11° / 569.50.510.12.5
Mar14° / 5910.50.111.64.1
Apr17° / 6611.3013.35.1
May20° / 11°6911.8014.76.0
Jun24° / 14°568.9015.46.9
Jul26° / 15°427.4015.17.2
Aug26° / 15°507.6013.97.1
Sep23° / 13°558.1012.37.1
Oct18° / 10°7411.2010.75.6
Nov13° / 7911.909.33.4
Dec10° / 8112.20.18.62.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33169
43169
53367
63367
73367
83466
93466
103466
113565
123565
133664
143664
153664
163862
173862
183961
193961
203961
214060
224159
234258
244258
254159
264159
274159
284060
294060
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cognac gets around 69 mm of rain over 11.8 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 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
241
341
441
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1539
1639
1739
1838
1938
2037
2137
2237
2336
2436
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19280
29190
390100
489110
589110
688120
787130
887130
987130
1087130
1186131
1286131
1386131
1486131
1585141
1684142
1784142
1884142
1982153
2081163
2180173
2278184
2377194
2475205
2573225
2671236
2769256
2867267
2966277
3064288
3163298

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours 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 72 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 5:22 AM, and sunset from 8:00 PM to 8:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:578:00
214.15:558:01
314.15:548:03
414.25:528:04
514.25:518:05
614.35:498:06
714.35:488:08
814.45:478:09
914.45:458:10
1014.55:448:11
1114.55:438:13
1214.55:418:14
1314.65:408:15
1414.65:398:16
1514.75:378:18
1614.75:368:19
1714.75:358:20
1814.85:348:21
1914.85:338:22
2014.95:328:24
2114.95:318:25
2214.95:308:26
2315.05:298:27
2415.05:288:28
2515.05:278:29
2615.15:268:30
2715.15:258:31
2815.15:258:32
2915.25:248:33
3015.25:238:34
3115.25:228:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.59 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Cognac?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Cognac for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cognac in May

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

In May, Cognac sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cognac in May

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 62 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 19 to Aug 31 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar11Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May15Cool
Jun18Cool
Jul20Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov15Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Cognac 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 Cognac peaks around July 19 at about 8 (very 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 19UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Cognac?

Cognac sits at 45.7°N, 0.3°W, 28 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Saintes, 24 km away.

Topography around Cognac

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cognac has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 367 m.

The land around Cognac is covered by trees (33%), artificial surfaces (30%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, grassland (38%), cropland (35%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (41%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
64 m
16 km
164 m
80 km
367 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Saintes 24 km · Angoulême 38 km · Royan 55 km · Rochefort 57 km · Niort 70 km · La Rochelle 82 km · Libourne 87 km · Blanquefort 91 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 Cognac (45.6958°, -0.3287°, elevation 28 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).