Firminy weather in May

In May, Firminy sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 87 mm of precipitation across 13.1 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 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 Firminy's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Firminy's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
87 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
5:19 AM – 7:59 PM
Cloud cover
65%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM10 24.4 µg/m³ · 2010

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 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Firminy reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 24°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)
1167
2167
3177
4177
5177
6177
7177
8178
9178
10178
11188
12188
13188
14188
15188
16188
17188
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24209
25209
26209
272010
282010
292010
302010
312010

How May really feels in Firminy

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.

Firminy 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 / -0°5811.64.88.90.3
Feb / -0°4610.24.810.10.9
Mar11° / 4910.42.311.62.8
Apr14° / 7612.61.313.24.0
May18° / 8713.10.314.75.4
Jun22° / 12°7511.7015.46.4
Jul25° / 14°639.7015.17.1
Aug25° / 13°659.2013.97.2
Sep20° / 10°779.3012.36.4
Oct15° / 8411.10.410.74.5
Nov10° / 8512.22.29.31.9
Dec / 5911.13.68.60.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33169
43070
53070
63070
73070
83169
93268
103268
113268
123466
133466
143565
153664
163763
173862
183862
194060
204060
214159
224258
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284159
294159
304159
313961

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Firminy gets around 87 mm of rain and snow over 13.1 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 43% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1502
2502
3502
4502
5492
6492
7482
8472
9472
10451
11441
12441
13431
14421
15411
16401
17400
18390
19390
20380
21380
22380
23380
24380
25380
26390
27400
28400
29410
30420
31430

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14982
15982
16982
17973
18973
19964
20955
21946
22946
23937
24928
25919
269010
278911
288812
298713
308614
318515

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 5:39 AM to 5:05 AM, and sunset from 7:41 PM to 8:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:397:41
214.15:387:42
314.15:367:43
414.25:357:45
514.25:337:46
614.35:327:47
714.35:307:48
814.35:297:50
914.45:287:51
1014.45:267:52
1114.55:257:53
1214.55:247:55
1314.65:227:56
1414.65:217:57
1514.65:207:58
1614.75:197:59
1714.75:188:01
1814.85:168:02
1914.85:158:03
2014.85:148:04
2114.95:138:05
2214.95:128:06
2314.95:118:07
2415.05:108:08
2515.05:108:10
2615.05:098:11
2715.15:088:12
2815.15:078:13
2915.15:068:14
3015.15:068:14
3115.25:058:15

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Firminy?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Firminy for sightseeing.

What to pack for Firminy in May

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

In May, Firminy sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Firminy 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 Firminy peaks around July 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 16UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Firminy in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Firminy is worst in March — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateMar 2216 µg/m³Jul 2311 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov12Good
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Firminy?

Firminy sits at 45.4°N, 4.3°E, 477 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Saint-Étienne, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Firminy

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Firminy has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m around an average of 545 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 890 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,641 m.

The land around Firminy is covered by trees (46%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
403 m
16 km
890 m
80 km
1,641 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Saint-Étienne 9.0 km · Saint-Chamond 20 km · Montbrison 30 km · Annonay 34 km · Givors 44 km · Vienne 48 km · Le Puy-en-Velay 50 km · Saint-Genis-Laval 52 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 Firminy (45.3896°, 4.2886°, elevation 477 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).