Le Havre weather in May

In May, Le Havre sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 59 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 15.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 Le Havre's 6th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Le Havre's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
11°
7th coldest
Rainfall
59 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
5:22 AM – 8:29 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Le Havre is commune in Seine-Maritime, France.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,961/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 14°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical May day in Le Havre reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 19°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)
1139
2149
3149
4149
51410
61410
71410
81410
91410
101410
111410
121410
131510
141510
151510
161511
171511
181511
191511
201511
211511
221611
231611
241611
251611
261612
271612
281612
291612
301612
311612

Le Havre weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8715.10.58.41.2
Feb / 7013.10.89.81.2
Mar10° / 6612.20.311.52.1
Apr12° / 5911.3013.43.1
May15° / 11°5910.9015.14.3
Jun18° / 13°6010.70165.5
Jul20° / 15°6111015.66.2
Aug20° / 16°7311.8014.26.1
Sep18° / 14°7811.7012.45.6
Oct15° / 11°10414.9010.54.1
Nov11° / 11116.30.18.92.4
Dec / 12116.60.481.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53367
63268
73367
83466
93565
103565
113565
123664
133763
143763
153961
163961
174060
184060
194060
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Le Havre gets around 59 mm of rain over 10.9 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 36% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
339
438
537
636
736
835
935
1034
1134
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1736
1836
1936
2036
2137
2237
2337
2437
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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39820
49820
59730
69730
79640
89640
99640
109550
119550
129550
139550
149460
159460
169460
179460
189370
199370
209370
219280
229190
2390100
2490100
2589110
2688120
2787130
2886140
2984160
3083170
3181181

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light 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 5:46 AM to 5:06 AM, and sunset from 8:07 PM to 8:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:468:07
214.45:448:09
314.55:438:10
414.55:418:12
514.65:398:13
614.65:388:15
714.75:368:16
814.75:348:18
914.85:338:19
1014.85:318:21
1114.95:308:22
1214.95:288:24
1315.05:278:25
1415.05:258:27
1515.15:248:28
1615.15:228:29
1715.25:218:31
1815.25:208:32
1915.35:188:33
2015.35:178:35
2115.35:168:36
2215.45:158:37
2315.45:148:39
2415.55:128:40
2515.55:118:41
2615.55:108:42
2715.65:098:44
2815.65:088:45
2915.65:088:46
3015.75:078:47
3115.75:068:48

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.8 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.5 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Le Havre?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Le Havre for sightseeing.

What to pack for Le Havre in May

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

In May, Le Havre sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Le Havre 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 13 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
Jan8Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Le Havre 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 Le Havre 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
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Le Havre 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 Le Havre is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Le Havre's WHO annual average of 10.4 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1515 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun12Good
Jul10Good
Aug10Good
Sep10Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Le Havre?

Le Havre sits at 49.5°N, 0.1°E, 5 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Montivilliers, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Le Havre

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Le Havre has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 168 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 382 m.

The land around Le Havre is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and water (37%) within 3 km, water (56%) within 16 km, and water (32%) and cropland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
168 m
80 km
382 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Montivilliers 8.0 km · Deauville 15 km · Fécamp 35 km · Lisieux 40 km · Hérouville-Saint-Clair 43 km · Caen 48 km · Bayeux 63 km · Canteleu 67 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 Le Havre (49.4935°, 0.1079°, elevation 5 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. 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).