Saint-Nazaire weather in May

In May, Saint-Nazaire sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 54 mm of rain across 10.2 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Saint-Nazaire's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Saint-Nazaire's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
12°
8th coldest
Rainfall
54 mm
10.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
5:39 AM – 8:31 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Saint-Nazaire is commune in Loire-Atlantique, France.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.2 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,433/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 Saint-Nazaire reaches about 17°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 22°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)
11610
21610
31610
41610
51610
61611
71611
81611
91611
101711
111711
121711
131711
141711
151711
161711
171712
181812
191812
201812
211812
221812
231812
241812
251812
261913
271913
281913
291913
301913
311913

Saint-Nazaire 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 / 7211.58.71.7
Feb / 549.29.92.0
Mar12° / 509.811.63.1
Apr14° / 5110.113.34.1
May17° / 12°5410.214.85.5
Jun20° / 14°418.615.76.5
Jul22° / 16°417.815.37.1
Aug22° / 16°457.9147.1
Sep20° / 14°527.812.46.6
Oct16° / 11°7611.610.64.9
Nov12° / 7611.79.13.1
Dec10° / 8112.38.32.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33466
43466
53466
63565
73664
83664
93763
103763
113862
123862
134060
144159
154159
164258
174357
184456
194555
204654
214753
224753
234654
244654
254654
264555
274555
284654
294654
304654
314555

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Saint-Nazaire gets around 54 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 39% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
438
538
637
736
836
935
1035
1134
1234
1333
1433
1533
1632
1732
1832
1931
2031
2131
2231
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3031
3131

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19190
289110
388120
488120
587130
686140
785150
884151
983161
1083161
1183161
1283161
1383161
1483161
1582171
1682171
1782171
1880182
1980182
2079192
2177203
2276213
2374233
2472244
2571254
2669274
2767285
2865305
2963316
3062326
3160337

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 15 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
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of May to 15 h 24 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 5:24 AM, and sunset from 8:11 PM to 8:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.26:018:11
214.25:598:13
314.35:588:14
414.35:568:15
514.45:558:17
614.45:538:18
714.55:518:19
814.55:508:21
914.65:498:22
1014.65:478:23
1114.75:468:25
1214.75:448:26
1314.75:438:27
1414.85:428:29
1514.85:408:30
1614.95:398:31
1714.95:388:32
1815.05:378:34
1915.05:358:35
2015.05:348:36
2115.15:338:37
2215.15:328:39
2315.15:318:40
2415.25:308:41
2515.25:298:42
2615.25:288:43
2715.35:278:44
2815.35:268:45
2915.35:268:46
3015.45:258:47
3115.45:248:48

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
236.0Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Saint-Nazaire?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Saint-Nazaire for sightseeing.

What to pack for Saint-Nazaire in May

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

In May, Saint-Nazaire sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Saint-Nazaire in May

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 19°C and coldest in February near 9°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
Feb9Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Saint-Nazaire 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 Saint-Nazaire peaks around August 10 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Saint-Nazaire?

Saint-Nazaire sits at 47.3°N, 2.2°W, 12 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is La Baule-Escoublac, 11 km away.

Topography around Saint-Nazaire

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Saint-Nazaire has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 293 m.

The land around Saint-Nazaire is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and water (36%) within 3 km, water (32%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and water (34%), grassland (25%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
37 m
16 km
119 m
80 km
293 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: La Baule-Escoublac 11 km · Guérande 17 km · Couëron 38 km · Saint-Herblain 43 km · Orvault 45 km · Bouguenais 46 km · Rezé 50 km · La Chapelle-sur-Erdre 50 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 Saint-Nazaire (47.2751°, -2.2179°, elevation 12 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).