Baton Rouge weather in May

In May, Baton Rouge sees average daytime highs of 85°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 4.1 in of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 82°F in the first days to 88°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Baton Rouge's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Baton Rouge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
85°
5th warmest
Overnight low
66°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.1 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:15 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
51%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Baton Rouge is capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana and seat of East Baton Rouge Parish.

Density
997/km²
people per km²
Founded
1719

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 82°F in the first days to 88°F by the end.

A typical May day in Baton Rouge reaches about 85°F in the afternoon and slips back to 66°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 78°F and 91°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°F warmer than April and about 4°F cooler than June.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18262
28262
38262
48363
58363
68363
78364
88364
98464
108464
118465
128465
138565
148565
158566
168566
178566
188566
198667
208667
218667
228667
238768
248768
258768
268769
278769
288769
298769
308870
318870

How May really feels in Baton Rouge

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 7 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
7
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Baton Rouge weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 43°4.99.410.35.2
Feb65° / 46°4.58.910.96.0
Mar72° / 52°4.69.811.86.8
Apr78° / 58°4.58.812.77.0
May85° / 66°4.19.513.55.5
Jun89° / 72°4.713.713.93.7
Jul91° / 74°5.217.113.83.1
Aug91° / 74°5.215.713.13.2
Sep88° / 70°3.910.712.24.5
Oct80° / 59°3.47.611.37.1
Nov70° / 50°3.57.710.57.1
Dec64° / 45°4.59.410.15.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46139
56040
66040
76040
86040
96139
106139
116139
126139
136238
146238
156238
166238
176337
186337
196238
206238
216238
226139
236139
246139
256139
265941
275941
285941
295842
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Baton Rouge gets around 4.1 in of rain over 9.5 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 31% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1127
1227
1328
1428
1529
1630
1730
1831
1931
2032
2133
2234
2334
2435
2536
2637
2737
2838
2939
3040
3141

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 35% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 61% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
122142528100
221142528110
320142529120
419142430130
518132431140
617132432140
716132432150
815122333160
915122333170
1014122334170
1113112235180
1213112235190
1312112235200
1411102136210
1511102136220
1610102037230
171092037240
18992037250
19881938260
20881938270
21781838290
22671739301
23671639311
24561540331
25461540341
26461440361
27351339381
28251239401
29251238422
30241137442
31141036463

Wind in May

Winds average 6 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of May to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:27 AM to 5:08 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:276:37
213.25:266:38
313.25:256:38
413.25:246:39
513.35:236:40
613.35:226:40
713.35:226:41
813.35:216:42
913.45:206:42
1013.45:196:43
1113.45:196:44
1213.45:186:44
1313.55:176:45
1413.55:166:46
1513.55:166:46
1613.55:156:47
1713.65:146:48
1813.65:146:48
1913.65:136:49
2013.65:136:50
2113.65:126:50
2213.75:126:51
2313.75:116:51
2413.75:116:52
2513.75:106:53
2613.75:106:53
2713.75:096:54
2813.85:096:55
2913.85:096:55
3013.85:086:56
3113.85:086:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.17 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.63 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.17 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Baton Rouge

In seasonPeak

None of Baton Rouge's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Baton Rouge sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Baton Rouge?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Baton Rouge for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Baton Rouge in May

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

In May, Baton Rouge sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 66°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Baton Rouge in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Baton Rouge peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1623 µg/m³Jan 249 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Baton Rouge?

Baton Rouge sits at 30.4°N, 91.2°W, 46 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Shenandoah, 11 mi away.

Topography around Baton Rouge

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Baton Rouge.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Baton Rouge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 482 ft.

The land around Baton Rouge is covered by artificial surfaces (35%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) within 10 miles, and trees (69%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
89 ft
10 miles
148 ft
50 miles
482 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Shenandoah 11 mi · Central 12 mi · Zachary 14 mi · Prairieville 16 mi · Hammond 43 mi · New Iberia 48 mi · Laplace 50 mi · Lafayette 52 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Baton Rouge (30.4433°, -91.1875°, elevation 46 ft), 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).