Central weather in May

In May, Central sees average daytime highs of 85°F and overnight lows near 66°F, with 4.3 in of rain across 9.8 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 87°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Central's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Central's year-round climate.

Daytime high
85°
5th warmest
Overnight low
66°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.3 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:14 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
52%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Central is city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Density
175/km²
people per km²
Founded
2005

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 87°F by the end.

A typical May day in Central 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 90°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)
18162
28262
38262
48262
58263
68363
78363
88364
98364
108364
118464
128465
138465
148465
158565
168566
178566
188566
198566
208567
218667
228667
238667
248668
258668
268768
278769
288769
298769
308769
318770

How May really feels in Central

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 5 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
5
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.

Central 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°4.99.410.25.2
Feb65° / 46°4.59.210.95.9
Mar71° / 52°4.79.811.86.7
Apr78° / 58°4.6912.77.0
May85° / 66°4.39.813.55.5
Jun89° / 72°4.914.313.93.8
Jul90° / 74°5.517.813.83.1
Aug91° / 74°5.516.613.13.2
Sep87° / 69°4.111.212.24.6
Oct80° / 59°3.67.711.37.1
Nov70° / 49°3.67.810.57.1
Dec63° / 45°4.49.210.15.8

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45941
55941
65941
75842
85842
95941
105941
116040
126139
136139
146139
156139
166238
176238
186238
196337
206337
216238
226238
236139
246040
256040
265941
275842
285743
295743
305743
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Central gets around 4.3 in of rain over 9.8 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 32% 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 (%)
128
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1129
1229
1329
1430
1530
1631
1731
1832
1932
2033
2133
2234
2334
2435
2536
2636
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 36% 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 (%)
122162329100
221162229110
320162230120
419152231130
518152232130
617152232140
716142233150
815142234160
915132234160
1014132235170
1113122235180
1213112135190
1312112136200
1411102136210
1511102136220
161092137230
171092137240
18992037250
19882037260
20881938270
21771838290
22671839300
23671739310
24561640330
25461540350
26461440360
27361339381
28251239401
29251138421
30151137442
31141036462

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
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
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 5:26 AM to 5:07 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:266:36
213.25:256:37
313.25:246:38
413.35:236:38
513.35:236:39
613.35:226:40
713.35:216:41
813.45:206:41
913.45:196:42
1013.45:186:43
1113.45:186:43
1213.45:176:44
1313.55:166:45
1413.55:166:45
1513.55:156:46
1613.55:146:47
1713.65:146:47
1813.65:136:48
1913.65:126:49
2013.65:126:49
2113.65:116:50
2213.75:116:50
2313.75:106:51
2413.75:106:52
2513.75:096:52
2613.75:096:53
2713.85:096:54
2813.85:086:54
2913.85:086:55
3013.85:076:55
3113.85:076:56

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.16 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 6.16 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.16 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
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
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Central?

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 Central for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Central in May

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

In May, Central 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 Central 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 Central 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 Central 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 Central is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1623 µg/m³Jan 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Central?

Central sits at 30.6°N, 91.0°W, 66 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Zachary, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Central

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Central has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 82 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft.

The land around Central is covered by trees (70%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
187 ft
50 miles
518 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Zachary 9.9 mi · Shenandoah 11 mi · Baton Rouge 12 mi · Prairieville 18 mi · Hammond 34 mi · Laplace 47 mi · New Iberia 60 mi · Kenner 62 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 Central (30.5543°, -91.0368°, elevation 66 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. 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).