La Rochelle weather in May

In May, La Rochelle sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 57 mm of rain across 10.2 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 26% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is La Rochelle's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Rochelle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
10.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
5:38 AM – 8:24 PM
Cloud cover
60%
6th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

La Rochelle is French commune and prefecture of Charente-Maritime, New Aquitaine.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,702/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 17°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in La Rochelle reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°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)
11611
21611
31711
41711
51711
61711
71711
81711
91711
101711
111712
121812
131812
141812
151812
161812
171812
181812
191812
201913
211913
221913
231913
241913
251913
261913
271913
282013
292014
302014
312014

La Rochelle weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7711.98.81.9
Feb10° / 589.7102.2
Mar13° / 541011.63.5
Apr15° / 579.813.34.5
May18° / 12°5710.214.75.8
Jun21° / 15°478.415.56.7
Jul23° / 17°367.115.27.5
Aug23° / 17°427.2147.6
Sep21° / 15°55812.36.8
Oct17° / 12°8712.310.75.2
Nov13° / 9212.89.23.3
Dec10° / 8712.88.52.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33664
43664
53763
63763
73763
83862
93961
104060
114060
124258
134258
144357
154456
164555
174654
184654
194753
204852
214852
224951
235050
245050
255050
265050
275149
285149
294951
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

La Rochelle gets around 57 mm of rain over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
536
636
736
835
935
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1633
1733
1833
1932
2032
2131
2231
2331
2431
2530
2630
2730
2830
2931
3031
3132

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 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187130
286140
385150
484160
582171
682171
781181
881181
981181
1081181
1181181
1281181
1381181
1480182
1579192
1679192
1779192
1877203
1976213
2075223
2173234
2272244
2370264
2468275
2566295
2664306
2763316
2861327
2959338
3057349
3156359

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 18 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 5:59 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 8:04 PM to 8:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:598:04
214.15:588:06
314.25:568:07
414.25:558:08
514.35:538:10
614.35:528:11
714.45:508:12
814.45:498:13
914.55:478:15
1014.55:468:16
1114.55:458:17
1214.65:438:19
1314.65:428:20
1414.75:418:21
1514.75:398:22
1614.85:388:24
1714.85:378:25
1814.85:368:26
1914.95:358:27
2014.95:348:28
2114.95:338:29
2215.05:328:31
2315.05:318:32
2415.15:308:33
2515.15:298:34
2615.15:288:35
2715.15:278:36
2815.25:268:37
2915.25:258:38
3015.25:258:39
3115.35:248:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit La Rochelle?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit La Rochelle for sightseeing.

What to pack for La Rochelle in May

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

In May, La Rochelle sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near La Rochelle 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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 20°C and coldest in February near 10°C.

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

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in La Rochelle 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 La Rochelle peaks around July 20 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 20UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is La Rochelle?

La Rochelle sits at 46.2°N, 1.2°W, 13 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Rochefort, 28 km away.

Topography around La Rochelle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around La Rochelle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 m.

The land around La Rochelle is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) within 3 km, water (48%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and cropland (40%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
59 m
80 km
305 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Rochefort 28 km · Fontenay-le-Comte 43 km · Niort 56 km · La Roche-sur-Yon 60 km · Royan 60 km · Saintes 61 km · Les Sables-d'Olonne 61 km · Les Herbiers 79 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 La Rochelle (46.1631°, -1.1522°, elevation 13 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).