New Orleans weather in May: New Orleans, Louisiana: normal highs, lows, rain and records for May
New Orleans in May has a normal high of 85°F and a normal low of 69°F, a daily mean of 77°F, rising from 82°F on the 1st to 88°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 8 days in a normal May, 5.64 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 30°C and low of 21°C, 143 mm of precipitation in May.
- NOAA stationNew Orleans Airport
- Station IDUSW00012916
- Location29.99°N 90.25°W
- Elevation4 ft (1 m)
- From the center19 miles
- Population362,701
- Jan 63° 46°
- Feb 66° 50°
- Mar 72° 55°
- Apr 79° 62°
- May 85° 69°
- Jun 90° 75°
- Jul 91° 77°
- Aug 91° 77°
- Sep 88° 74°
- Oct 81° 64°
- Nov 71° 54°
- Dec 65° 48°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is New Orleans in May?
The normal high is 85°F and the normal low 69°F, for a daily mean of 77.1°F. May is 7.0°F warmer than April and 5.3°F cooler than June. May is the 5th warmest month of the year in New Orleans and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 6°F, from 82°F on May 1 to 88°F on May 31. From one year to the next May's mean temperature typically moves about 2.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Mays in three average between 75°F and 79°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 35%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 82°F | 65°F | 23% | 15% |
| May 8 | 84°F | 67°F | 23% | 16% |
| May 15 | 85°F | 69°F | 26% | 17% |
| May 22 | 87°F | 70°F | 30% | 20% |
| May 31 | 88°F | 72°F | 35% | 24% |
Every day of May: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon May 31, coldest night May 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 82°F | 65°F | 23% | 15% | 13 h 20 min |
| May 2 | 82°F | 66°F | 23% | 15% | 13 h 20 min |
| May 3 | 82°F | 66°F | 23% | 15% | 13 h 20 min |
| May 4 | 83°F | 66°F | 23% | 15% | 13 h 20 min |
| May 5 | 83°F | 66°F | 23% | 15% | 13 h 20 min |
| May 6 | 83°F | 67°F | 23% | 15% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 7 | 83°F | 67°F | 23% | 16% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 8 | 84°F | 67°F | 23% | 16% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 9 | 84°F | 67°F | 24% | 16% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 10 | 84°F | 68°F | 24% | 16% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 11 | 84°F | 68°F | 24% | 16% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 12 | 85°F | 68°F | 25% | 17% | 13 h 30 min |
| May 13 | 85°F | 68°F | 25% | 17% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 14 | 85°F | 69°F | 26% | 17% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 15 | 85°F | 69°F | 26% | 17% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 16 | 85°F | 69°F | 27% | 18% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 17 | 86°F | 69°F | 27% | 18% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 18 | 86°F | 70°F | 28% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 19 | 86°F | 70°F | 28% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 20 | 86°F | 70°F | 29% | 19% | 13 h 40 min |
| May 21 | 87°F | 70°F | 29% | 20% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 22 | 87°F | 70°F | 30% | 20% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 23 | 87°F | 71°F | 30% | 20% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 24 | 87°F | 71°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 25 | 87°F | 71°F | 31% | 21% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 26 | 88°F | 71°F | 32% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 27 | 88°F | 72°F | 33% | 22% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 28 | 88°F | 72°F | 33% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 29 | 88°F | 72°F | 34% | 23% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 30 | 88°F | 72°F | 35% | 24% | 13 h 50 min |
| May 31 | 88°F | 72°F | 35% | 24% | 14 h |
- Normal high
- 85°FMay average
- Normal low
- 69°FMay average
- Precipitation
- 5.64 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 80.01 inch or more
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6
- Daylight
- 13 h 20 min to 14 hMay 1 to May 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 31
- Days at 80°F or more
- 28
- Sunshine
- 84%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00012916; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in New Orleans in May?
On a given May day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 27% on average, highest around May 31 (35%). In all, 5.64 in falls on 8 days of a normal May, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal May in New Orleans, 6 days reach 90°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00012916.
How humid and windy is New Orleans in May?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 85°F with 58% relative humidity and a dew point of 69°F; at 6 a.m. it is 75°F with 87% humidity. The wind averages 7.1 mph, most often from the south in the afternoon. A dew point of 65°F or more feels muggy to most people.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 75°F | 71°F | 87% | 4.5 mph | 31% |
| 9 a.m. | 82°F | 71°F | 68% | 8.5 mph | – |
| noon | 85°F | 70°F | 60% | 9.7 mph | 16% |
| 3 p.m. | 85°F | 69°F | 58% | 9.5 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 82°F | 69°F | 65% | 8.8 mph | 21% |
| 9 p.m. | 78°F | 70°F | 79% | 6.4 mph | 48% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00012916. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for May in New Orleans?
The warmest May temperature on New Orleans's official record (since 1946) is 97°F, on May 15, 2018; the coldest is 41°F, on May 13, 1960. The wettest May brought 21.18 in (1995).
The May mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 77.1°F: 2021 77.1°F (at normal), 2022 80.0°F (+2.9), 2023 78.5°F (+1.4), 2024 80.7°F (+3.6), 2025 78.6°F (+1.5), 2026 75.9°F (−1.2). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| May | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77.1°F | at normal | 12.80 in |
| 2022 | 80.0°F | +2.9°F | 9.23 in |
| 2023 | 78.5°F | +1.4°F | 3.30 in |
| 2024 | 80.7°F | +3.6°F | 6.66 in |
| 2025 | 78.6°F | +1.5°F | 7.55 in |
| 2026 | 75.9°F | −1.2°F | 9.58 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record MSYthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00012916. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does May in New Orleans compare across Louisiana?
Across the 65 places PlainClimate covers in Louisiana, May normal highs run from 81°F in Bastrop to 87°F in Chalmette; New Orleans's is 85°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.