Les Sables-d'Olonne weather in May

In May, Les Sables-d'Olonne sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 54 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Les Sables-d'Olonne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
7th coldest
Rainfall
54 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
5:40 AM – 8:27 PM
Cloud cover
59%
5th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Les Sables-d'Olonne reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 21°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)
11511
21511
31511
41511
51511
61611
71611
81611
91612
101612
111612
121612
131612
141612
151712
161712
171712
181712
191713
201713
211713
221713
231713
241813
251813
261813
271813
281814
291814
301814
311814

Les Sables-d'Olonne weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 9113.48.81.8
Feb10° / 6410.5102.0
Mar12° / 5710.711.62.9
Apr14° / 529.913.33.9
May17° / 12°549.914.85.3
Jun20° / 15°397.815.56.5
Jul21° / 17°336.615.27.3
Aug22° / 17°406.8147.3
Sep20° / 15°568.212.46.6
Oct17° / 13°9312.710.74.9
Nov13° / 10°10613.99.23.2
Dec10° / 10014.18.42.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23961
33961
43961
53961
64159
74060
84258
94258
104258
114258
124456
134555
144555
154555
164654
174753
184852
194951
205050
215149
225149
235149
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Les Sables-d'Olonne gets around 54 mm of rain over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
635
734
834
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2031
2131
2231
2331
2430
2530
2630
2729
2829
2929
3030
3130

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 (%)
19190
29190
390100
489110
588120
688120
787130
887130
987130
1086140
1186140
1286140
1386140
1485141
1584151
1684151
1783161
1883161
1982171
2080182
2179192
2278202
2375223
2474233
2572253
2670264
2769274
2867294
2965305
3064315
3162326

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
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3117light 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 6:01 AM to 5:25 AM, and sunset from 8:08 PM to 8:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.16:018:08
214.25:598:09
314.25:588:10
414.35:568:12
514.35:558:13
614.35:538:14
714.45:528:16
814.45:508:17
914.55:498:18
1014.55:488:19
1114.65:468:21
1214.65:458:22
1314.75:438:23
1414.75:428:25
1514.75:418:26
1614.85:408:27
1714.85:388:28
1814.95:378:30
1914.95:368:31
2014.95:358:32
2115.05:348:33
2215.05:338:34
2315.15:328:35
2415.15:318:36
2515.15:308:38
2615.25:298:39
2715.25:288:40
2815.25:288:41
2915.25:278:42
3015.35:268:43
3115.35:258:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.89 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Les Sables-d'Olonne?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Les Sables-d'Olonne for sightseeing.

What to pack for Les Sables-d'Olonne in May

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

In May, Les Sables-d'Olonne sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Les Sables-d'Olonne 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 15 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
Jan11Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Cool
Sep19Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov15Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Les Sables-d'Olonne 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne peaks around July 20 at about 7 (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 highHighModerateLowJul 20UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Les Sables-d'Olonne?

Les Sables-d'Olonne sits at 46.5°N, 1.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is La Roche-sur-Yon, 33 km away.

Topography around Les Sables-d'Olonne

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Les Sables-d'Olonne.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Les Sables-d'Olonne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 339 m.

The land around Les Sables-d'Olonne is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (57%) within 16 km, and water (43%), cropland (25%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
94 m
80 km
339 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: La Roche-sur-Yon 33 km · Challans 39 km · La Rochelle 61 km · Les Herbiers 72 km · Fontenay-le-Comte 75 km · Bouguenais 77 km · Vertou 78 km · Rezé 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne (46.4969°, -1.7847°, elevation 7 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).