Lake Charles weather in May

In May, Lake Charles sees average daytime highs of 84°F and overnight lows near 68°F, with 4.0 in of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 81°F in the first days to 87°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Lake Charles's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lake Charles's year-round climate.

Daytime high
84°
5th warmest
Overnight low
68°
8th coldest
Rainfall
4.0 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:24 AM – 6:55 PM
Cloud cover
53%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Lake Charles is parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Density
656/km²
people per km²
Founded
1861

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 81°F in the first days to 87°F by the end.

A typical May day in Lake Charles reaches about 84°F in the afternoon and slips back to 68°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 79°F and 89°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)
18164
28164
38264
48264
58265
68265
78265
88366
98366
108366
118366
128367
138467
148467
158467
168468
178568
188568
198568
208569
218569
228569
238669
248670
258670
268670
278670
288771
298771
308771
318771

How May really feels in Lake Charles

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 6 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
6
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.

Lake Charles weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan62° / 44°5.19.910.35.2
Feb65° / 47°3.89.410.95.9
Mar71° / 53°4.110.411.86.6
Apr77° / 60°4.69.812.76.9
May84° / 68°4.010.513.55.6
Jun89° / 73°5.214.913.93.8
Jul90° / 75°4.516.413.83.3
Aug91° / 75°4.61613.13.2
Sep87° / 70°4.811.712.24.5
Oct80° / 60°3.88.311.37.0
Nov70° / 51°4.28.710.56.9
Dec63° / 46°4.99.510.15.7

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35941
45842
55842
65842
75842
85842
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155842
165842
175842
185842
195941
205941
215941
225842
235842
245842
255743
265743
275743
285743
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Lake Charles gets around 4.0 in of rain over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
430
530
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1632
1732
1832
1933
2033
2134
2235
2336
2437
2538
2639
2740
2841
2943
3044
3145

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 35% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 69% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
119141730190
218141730210
318141730220
417131630230
516131630240
615131631250
714121631260
814121532270
913111532280
1012111532290
1112101532300
1211101532310
1311101533320
141091533321
15991533331
16981534341
17881534341
18881434351
19771434361
20771434371
21661334391
22561334402
23561234422
24451134432
25351134452
26351033473
27241033493
2814932513
2914931514
3013830535
3113828555

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
137light breeze
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
316calm

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 5:35 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:356:45
213.25:346:45
313.25:346:46
413.25:336:47
513.35:326:47
613.35:316:48
713.35:306:49
813.35:296:49
913.45:286:50
1013.45:286:51
1113.45:276:51
1213.45:266:52
1313.55:266:53
1413.55:256:53
1513.55:246:54
1613.55:246:55
1713.55:236:55
1813.65:226:56
1913.65:226:57
2013.65:216:57
2113.65:216:58
2213.65:206:58
2313.75:206:59
2413.75:197:00
2513.75:197:00
2613.75:187:01
2713.75:187:02
2813.75:187:02
2913.85:177:03
3013.85:177:03
3113.85:177:04

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.18 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 6.18 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Lake Charles

In seasonPeak

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

Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Lake Charles in May

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

In May, Lake Charles sees daytime highs around 84°F and nights near 68°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Lake Charles in May

The nearest coast averages about 78°F 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 41 mi away) is warmest in August at about 86°F and coldest in January near 60°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 1 to Nov 23 — about 7.8 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb60Cool
Mar65Cool
Apr71Refreshing
May78Warm
Jun84Tropical
Jul86Tropical
Aug86Tropical
Sep84Tropical
Oct78Warm
Nov70Refreshing
Dec63Cool

UV index in Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 12UV 10Dec 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Dec 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov12Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lake Charles?

Lake Charles sits at 30.2°N, 93.2°W, 13 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sulphur, 11 mi away.

Topography around Lake Charles

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lake Charles has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 ft around an average of 20 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 ft.

The land around Lake Charles is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
52 ft
10 miles
171 ft
50 miles
335 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Sulphur 11 mi · Orange 33 mi · Groves 47 mi · Port Arthur 50 mi · Nederland 50 mi · Beaumont 54 mi · Opelousas 70 mi · Lafayette 71 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 Lake Charles (30.2131°, -93.2044°, elevation 13 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). 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. 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).