Valenciennes weather in May

In May, Valenciennes sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 67 mm of rain across 12.6 wet days and about 15.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-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 16% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Valenciennes's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Valenciennes's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
67 mm
12.6 wet days
Daylight
15 h 12 min
5:06 AM – 8:19 PM
Cloud cover
69%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.4 µg/m³ · 2019

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 Valenciennes reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 3°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1167
2168
3168
4168
5168
6168
7178
8178
9178
10178
11178
12179
13179
14179
15179
16189
17189
18189
19189
20189
21189
221810
231810
241910
251910
261910
271910
281910
291910
301910
311911

How May really feels in Valenciennes

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.

Valenciennes weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6412.118.30.5
Feb / 5710.91.59.70.9
Mar11° / 5711.60.711.52.4
Apr14° / 5211.60.113.53.9
May18° / 6712.6015.25.2
Jun20° / 12°6311.3016.16.0
Jul23° / 14°6511.2015.76.5
Aug23° / 14°7011.2014.36.5
Sep19° / 11°509.5012.46.0
Oct15° / 6111.1010.54.2
Nov10° / 6411.90.48.82.0
Dec / 7713.51.17.90.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
32971
43070
53070
63070
73268
83268
93268
103268
113367
123367
133268
143268
153268
163268
173367
183367
193367
203367
213367
223367
233367
243367
253367
263367
273466
283466
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Valenciennes gets around 67 mm of rain over 12.6 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
642
742
842
942
1042
1142
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1742
1842
1942
2042
2141
2241
2341
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3041
3141

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29730
39730
49640
59640
69550
79550
89460
99460
109370
119370
129370
139280
149280
159280
169190
179091
1889101
1989101
2088111
2187121
2286122
2385132
2484142
2582153
2681163
2780173
2879174
2977185
3076195
3174206

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 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light 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 24 min at the start of May to 15 h 48 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 5:30 AM to 4:48 AM, and sunset from 7:56 PM to 8:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:307:56
214.55:287:57
314.55:277:59
414.65:258:01
514.75:238:02
614.75:218:04
714.85:208:05
814.85:188:07
914.95:168:08
1014.95:158:10
1115.05:138:11
1215.05:128:13
1315.15:108:14
1415.15:088:16
1515.25:078:17
1615.25:068:19
1715.35:048:20
1815.35:038:22
1915.45:018:23
2015.45:008:24
2115.44:598:26
2215.54:588:27
2315.54:568:28
2415.64:558:30
2515.64:548:31
2615.74:538:32
2715.74:528:33
2815.74:518:35
2915.84:508:36
3015.84:498:37
3115.84:488:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.11 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Valenciennes?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Valenciennes for sightseeing.

What to pack for Valenciennes in May

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

In May, Valenciennes sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Valenciennes 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 Valenciennes peaks around July 13 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Valenciennes 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 Valenciennes is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Valenciennes's WHO annual average of 12.4 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodApr 1316 µg/m³Dec 1010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Valenciennes?

Valenciennes sits at 50.4°N, 3.5°E, 29 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Denain, 10 km away.

Topography around Valenciennes

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Valenciennes has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m.

The land around Valenciennes is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, cropland (41%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and cropland (53%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
138 m
80 km
501 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Denain 10 km · Saint-Amand-les-Eaux 12 km · Péruwelz 17 km · Dour 18 km · Boussu 21 km · Saint-Ghislain 23 km · Colfontaine 24 km · Quaregnon 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 Valenciennes (50.3591°, 3.5251°, elevation 29 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. 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).