Villefranche-sur-Saône weather in May

In May, Villefranche-sur-Saône sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 97 mm of rain across 13.6 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Villefranche-sur-Saône's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Villefranche-sur-Saône's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
5:15 AM – 8:00 PM
Cloud cover
63%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.3 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 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Villefranche-sur-Saône reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 4°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1189
2189
3189
4199
5199
6199
7199
81910
91910
101910
112010
122010
132010
142010
152010
162010
172010
182111
192111
202111
212111
222111
232111
242111
252211
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312212

How May really feels in Villefranche-sur-Saône

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.

Villefranche-sur-Saône 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 / 7712.72.58.90.6
Feb / 6310.72.3101.3
Mar13° / 6711.50.811.63.4
Apr16° / 8412.30.213.34.8
May20° / 10°9713.6014.75.8
Jun24° / 14°8312.1015.56.5
Jul27° / 16°8010.5015.26.7
Aug26° / 15°8410.60146.7
Sep22° / 12°9710012.36.6
Oct17° / 10312.20.110.74.9
Nov10° / 10712.819.22.2
Dec / 8412.92.18.50.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 62%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83268
93367
103367
113565
123565
133565
143763
153763
163862
174060
184060
194258
204258
214357
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274357
284258
294258
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Villefranche-sur-Saône gets around 97 mm of rain over 13.6 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 44% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
350
450
550
650
749
848
947
1047
1146
1245
1344
1444
1543
1643
1742
1841
1941
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2741
2841
2942
3043
3144

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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29640
39640
49550
59460
69460
79370
89370
99370
109280
119280
129280
139280
149190
159190
1690100
1789101
1888111
1987121
2086131
2186131
2284142
2383152
2482162
2579183
2678193
2776204
2875214
2973225
3072235
3171236

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of May to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:36 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 7:40 PM to 8:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:367:40
214.15:357:42
314.25:337:43
414.25:327:44
514.35:307:46
614.35:297:47
714.45:277:48
814.45:267:50
914.45:247:51
1014.55:237:52
1114.55:227:53
1214.65:207:55
1314.65:197:56
1414.75:187:57
1514.75:167:58
1614.75:158:00
1714.85:148:01
1814.85:138:02
1914.95:128:03
2014.95:118:04
2114.95:108:05
2215.05:098:07
2315.05:088:08
2415.05:078:09
2515.15:068:10
2615.15:058:11
2715.15:048:12
2815.25:038:13
2915.25:038:14
3015.25:028:15
3115.25:018:16

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.49 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Villefranche-sur-Saône?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Villefranche-sur-Saône for sightseeing.

What to pack for Villefranche-sur-Saône in May

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

In May, Villefranche-sur-Saône sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Villefranche-sur-Saône 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 Villefranche-sur-Saône peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Villefranche-sur-Saône?

Villefranche-sur-Saône sits at 46.0°N, 4.7°E, 188 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Rillieux-la-Pape, 24 km away.

Topography around Villefranche-sur-Saône

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Villefranche-sur-Saône.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Villefranche-sur-Saône has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 m around an average of 198 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 718 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,491 m.

The land around Villefranche-sur-Saône is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), grassland (23%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (31%), cropland (30%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
187 m
16 km
718 m
80 km
1,491 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Rillieux-la-Pape 24 km · Caluire-et-Cuire 24 km · Écully 24 km · Lyon 09 25 km · Lyon 04 25 km · Lyon 01 26 km · Tassin-la-Demi-Lune 27 km · Lyon 06 27 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 Villefranche-sur-Saône (45.9897°, 4.7196°, elevation 188 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).