yearsofweather

Paris in May:
cool and fresh, frequent rain

Paris, France · Records from 2006 to 2025. Not a forecast.

Mean high20°Hottest day 31.4° (2017)
Mean low11°Coldest night 1.9° (2019)
Rain days10 days1-18 by year
Rainfall71mmDaylight 14.6 → 15.8 h
Paris's 12 months iBest: June to August
Trip types Sightseeing on foot Goodmild
Humidity72%0 muggy days
Clear days4 days11 overcast days
Mean wind12 km/hRarely windy
Sunrise / sunset (15th)06:09 / 21:24Daylight 14.6 → 15.8 h

Paris in May

May is full of public holidays: Labour Day on the 1st, Victory in Europe Day on the 8th, and Ascension, which moves with Easter. Some shops close and locals travel. The French Open starts in late May and the west side of town gets busy.

Neither hot nor cold: 20°C by day and 11°C after dark. Spending hours on foot was easy. With 10 rain days on average, a wet day was rarely more than a few days away. A visitor in 2011 met 1 rain day; one in 2024 met 18. The average of 10 hid that gap.

Daylight lasted 14.6 to 15.8 hours a day, so evenings stayed bright. Not every year was typical: 2011 ran 2.4°C warmer than the mean, with highs of 22.7°C. The lowest night on record was 1.9°C in 2019.

Date by date i

‹ April May 2027 June ›
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Week
May 1rain on 45% of days18° 9°
2-8rain on 29% of days19° 10°
9-15rain on 39% of days20° 11°
16-22rain on 31% of days21° 11°
23-29rain on 29% of days22° 12°
30-31rain on 25% of days22° 13°

0-5/206-8/209-11/2012-20/20

May 1rain on 45% of days18° 9°
2-8rain on 29% of days19° 10°
9-15rain on 39% of days20° 11°
16-22rain on 31% of days21° 11°
23-29rain on 29% of days22° 12°
30-31rain on 25% of days22° 13°
Tap another date to change

20062mm
2007none
20082mm
2009none
2010none
2011none
2012none
20136mm
201414mm
201511mm
2016none
2017none
2018none
2019none
20205mm
20216mm
2022none
20231mm
202410mm
2025none
Holidays in May (2027)
  • May 1 Labour Day
  • May 6 to May 9 Ascension long weekend
  • May 8 Victory in Europe Day
  • May 17 Whit Monday
  • May 31 Memorial Day

1 Local public holiday or break (busier, pricier)1 US holidays (flights fill up)

Day by day temperature i

8°16°25°33° 1815222931

Mean high Mean low Coldest to warmest high in 20 years

Your trip dates, the past 20 years

Trip dates ~

You can also click two dates on the axis. Hover a cell to see that day's rain.
Trip rain days Month rain days
2006
3 d 11 d
2007
2 d 13 d
2008
0 d 9 d
2009
0 d 10 d
2010
1 d 6 d
2011
1 d 1 d
2012
5 d 11 d
2013
1 d 11 d
2014
2 d 15 d
2015
5 d 8 d
2016
0 d 14 d
2017
4 d 10 d
2018
0 d 9 d
2019
4 d 12 d
2020
1 d 6 d
2021
1 d 15 d
2022
1 d 4 d
2023
3 d 9 d
2024
5 d 18 d
2025
1 d 5 d
Years with rain
Tap a date to start, tap another to end. Each cell is that date in one year.
'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
of 20
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6
5
6
5
7
4
7
8
8
9
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9
8
5
6
4
6
7
8
6
6
7
5
6
6
6
7
4
6
4
Rain days on trip
32001151250404111351

No rain1-9 mm10 mm or more Dates outside your trip are dimmed.

One row per year, one cell per day. 2011 had 1 rain day, 2024 had 18.

Paris through the year

MonthHighLowRain daysRainfall
January 8°3°10 days54mm
February 9°4°9 days45mm
March 13°6°11 days51mm
April 16°8°8 days41mm
May 20°11°10 days71mm
JuneGood 24°14°9 days61mm
JulyGood 26°16°8 days61mm
AugustGood 26°16°8 days57mm
September 22°13°8 days44mm
October 17°10°10 days62mm
November 11°6°10 days57mm
December 8°4°12 days64mm

Common questions

Does it rain a lot in Paris in May?

Over the past 20 years May averaged 10 rain days (1 mm or more) out of 31. Individual years ran from 1 in the driest to 18 in the wettest.

What should I wear in Paris in May?

Days averaged 20°C and nights 11°C. Pack a compact umbrella, a waterproof jacket, a light layer for the evenings, and T-shirts.

Is May a good time to visit Paris?

On warmth and rain days alone, Paris's easiest months were June to August. May ranked 5 of 12.

How many clear days does Paris get in May?

About 4 clear days (under 30% cloud on average) and 11 overcast days (80% or more).