Rouen weather in May

In May, Rouen sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 66 mm of rain across 12.1 wet days and about 15.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 Rouen's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rouen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
66 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
5:19 AM – 8:25 PM
Cloud cover
69%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Rouen is commune in Seine-Maritime, France.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
5,441/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 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical May day in Rouen reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°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)
1167
2167
3168
4168
5168
6168
7168
8168
9168
10178
11178
12178
13178
14179
15179
16179
17179
18179
19189
20189
21189
22189
23189
241810
251810
261810
271910
281910
291910
301910
311910

How May really feels in Rouen

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.

Rouen weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6311.80.98.40.8
Feb / 56111.29.81.1
Mar11° / 6011.50.411.52.6
Apr14° / 6311.30.213.43.9
May17° / 6612.1015.15.1
Jun20° / 12°65110166.0
Jul22° / 13°5910.9015.66.6
Aug22° / 13°6510.7014.26.6
Sep19° / 11°529.4012.46.1
Oct15° / 7312.3010.54.2
Nov10° / 6912.70.28.92.2
Dec / 8113.3181.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53169
63169
73169
83169
93367
103367
113367
123367
133367
143466
153565
163565
173565
183466
193664
203664
213664
223565
233565
243565
253565
263565
273664
283565
293565
303565
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Rouen gets around 66 mm of rain over 12.1 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 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
342
442
541
641
740
840
939
1039
1139
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2638
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39730
49730
59640
69640
79550
89550
99550
109460
119460
129460
139370
149370
159370
169280
179181
189091
199091
2089101
2188111
2288111
2386122
2485132
2584142
2683152
2782162
2880173
2979183
3078193
3178193

Wind in May

Winds average 13 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 5:42 AM to 5:02 AM, and sunset from 8:03 PM to 8:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:428:03
214.45:418:05
314.55:398:06
414.55:378:08
514.65:358:09
614.65:348:11
714.75:328:12
814.75:308:14
914.85:298:15
1014.85:278:17
1114.95:268:18
1214.95:248:20
1315.05:238:21
1415.05:218:22
1515.15:208:24
1615.15:198:25
1715.25:178:27
1815.25:168:28
1915.25:158:29
2015.35:138:31
2115.35:128:32
2215.45:118:33
2315.45:108:34
2415.55:098:36
2515.55:088:37
2615.55:078:38
2715.65:068:39
2815.65:058:41
2915.65:048:42
3015.75:038:43
3115.75:028:44

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.76 kWh/m² to a high of 5.69 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.29 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Rouen?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Rouen for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rouen in May

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

In May, Rouen sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Rouen 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 51 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Rouen 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 Rouen 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 Rouen 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 Rouen is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Rouen's WHO annual average of 12.9 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodApr 1217 µg/m³Nov 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rouen?

Rouen sits at 49.4°N, 1.1°E, 21 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Mont-Saint-Aignan, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Rouen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rouen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 66 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 199 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m.

The land around Rouen is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (45%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
199 m
80 km
292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Mont-Saint-Aignan 2.0 km · Sotteville-lès-Rouen 4.0 km · Le Petit-Quevilly 4.0 km · Canteleu 5.0 km · Le Grand-Quevilly 6.0 km · Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray 7.0 km · Elbeuf 19 km · Louviers 26 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 Rouen (49.4431°, 1.0993°, elevation 21 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).