France weather in May

Are you planning a trip to France in May and wondering what kind of weather to expect? Look no further than this page for all the information you need.

What is the weather like in France in May?

The weather conditions in France in May vary from poor to perfect depending on the destination.

During May in France, the average maximum temperature varies from low in Aussois with 9°C (47°F) to high in Saint-Étienne-du-Grès with 25°C (78°F). Minimum nighttime temperatures generally drop to 13°C (56°F) in Saint-Étienne-du-Grès and -1°C (30°F) in Aussois.

Precipitation in May varies from moderate in Ersa with an average of 37mm (1.46 inches) of rainfall to heavy in Argelès-Gazost with 191mm (7.52 inches). It is also generally a sunny time of year with an average of 200 hours of sunshine in Paris during the entire month.

To learn more about the weather conditions in specific areas of France, check out the map below.

Where to go in France in May

Find the average weather conditions in May for the most popular destinations in France on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailed information.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20-29ºC / 68-84ºF and not too much precipitation (less than 90mm / 3.5inches a month).

Popular destinations in France

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in France?

Average weather in Paris

In May Paris generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C (68°F), minimum nighttime temperatures around 10°C (49°F) and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Paris
Max temperature Max temp
Min temperature Min temp
Monthly sun hours Sun hours
Monthly rainfall Rainfall
Monthly rainy days Rainy days
Weather conditions Weather
<<   April April
<<  
16°C / 62°F 
6°C / 43°F 
173 hours 
58mm / 2.28" 
15 days 
20°C / 68°F 
10°C / 49°F 
200 hours 
69mm / 2.71" 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
23°C / 74°F 
12°C / 54°F 
203 hours 
62mm / 2.43" 
13 days 
Climate in Paris

Average weather in Cannes

In May Cannes generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 21°C (69°F), minimum nighttime temperatures around 14°C (58°F) and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Cannes
Max temperature Max temp
Min temperature Min temp
Monthly sun hours Sun hours
Monthly rainfall Rainfall
Monthly rainy days Rainy days
Weather conditions Weather
<<   April April
<<  
17°C / 62°F 
10°C / 51°F 
210 hours 
78mm / 3.07" 
9 days 
21°C / 69°F 
14°C / 58°F 
251 hours 
57mm / 2.23" 
9 days 
June   >> June
>>  
24°C / 75°F 
18°C / 64°F 
282 hours 
42mm / 1.65" 
7 days 
Climate in Cannes

Average weather in Nice

In May Nice generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 20°C (68°F), minimum nighttime temperatures around 13°C (56°F) and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Nice
Max temperature Max temp
Min temperature Min temp
Monthly sun hours Sun hours
Monthly rainfall Rainfall
Monthly rainy days Rainy days
Weather conditions Weather
<<   April April
<<  
16°C / 62°F 
9°C / 49°F 
210 hours 
85mm / 3.36" 
10 days 
20°C / 68°F 
13°C / 56°F 
251 hours 
64mm / 2.50" 
10 days 
June   >> June
>>  
24°C / 74°F 
17°C / 62°F 
282 hours 
51mm / 2.01" 
8 days 
Climate in Nice

Average weather in Lyon

In May Lyon generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 22°C (71°F), minimum nighttime temperatures around 11°C (51°F) and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Lyon
Max temperature Max temp
Min temperature Min temp
Monthly sun hours Sun hours
Monthly rainfall Rainfall
Monthly rainy days Rainy days
Weather conditions Weather
<<   April April
<<  
18°C / 64°F 
7°C / 44°F 
190 hours 
89mm / 3.50" 
14 days 
22°C / 71°F 
11°C / 51°F 
221 hours 
95mm / 3.74" 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
26°C / 78°F 
14°C / 57°F 
254 hours 
89mm / 3.49" 
13 days 
Climate in Lyon

Average weather in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

In May Chamonix-Mont-Blanc generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 12°C (53°F), minimum nighttime temperatures around 1°C (34°F) and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Max temperature Max temp
Min temperature Min temp
Monthly sun hours Sun hours
Monthly rainfall Rainfall
Monthly rainy days Rainy days
Weather conditions Weather
<<   April April
<<  
7°C / 44°F 
-3°C / 26°F 
180 hours 
121mm / 4.74" 
19 days 
poor 
12°C / 53°F 
1°C / 34°F 
202 hours 
155mm / 6.11" 
20 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
16°C / 61°F 
5°C / 42°F 
225 hours 
157mm / 6.17" 
19 days 
Climate in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in France.

Is May the best time to go to France?

In our opinion May is one of the best times to visit France with commonly perfect weather in Paris. However, the weather conditions may vary depending on your destination.

On average the best time to visit France is in May, June, July, August and September with generally perfect weather in Paris. The worst months are January, February and December that can have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in France. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to France? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in France.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal climate conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.