Get up to €50 off your stay

When is the best time to visit New Orleans?

The best time to visit New Orleans is between March and May, the most comfortable stretch of the year on these averages.

New Orleans has four seasons without a desert summer or a guaranteed freeze. Pack for mixed weather. The good outdoor weeks are real, and so are the grey ones. New Orleans is a city in United States. This page is about New Orleans, not a country average.

Most visitors come for cities, walking and the milder stretch of the year. Treat midwinter as museums and food unless you like weather for its own sake. The monthly table owns the averages. This layer is how New Orleans actually feels.

Part of United States weather.

New Orleans
Share:
Summarize with:
Follow:Add trip1 as a preferred source on Google

Spring

Spring in New Orleans is when the year becomes walkable again. March, April and May are mixed: bright days, wet days, and the odd reminder that winter has not fully left.

In New Orleans the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. This is a good month-range for a city break that wants outdoor hours without betting the packing list on heat. Carry a shell.

Read New Orleans in this stretch as its own climate, not as a generic holiday season copied from another destination.

Summer

Summer in New Orleans is the most usable stretch of the year: June, July and August. Long days, milder nights, and outdoor weather that makes a city break feel like a holiday.

In New Orleans the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. It is still a mixed-sky climate. A grey afternoon is not a surprise. Pack for sitting outside and for the hour you duck into a museum because the sky decided otherwise.

Autumn

Autumn in New Orleans is the second spring, then a slide: September, October and November. Early weeks are for walking. Later weeks are for jackets and shorter outdoor plans.

In New Orleans the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. Rain returns as a planning constraint. New Orleans in these months is still a good city-break climate if you pack for weather instead of for a brochure afternoon.

Read New Orleans in this stretch as its own climate, not as a generic holiday season copied from another destination.

Winter

Winter in New Orleans is grey, wet and short on daylight: December, January and February. Snow is possible and not the identity of the season. Museums, food and walking between showers are the trip.

In New Orleans the meteorological summer is June, July and August and winter is December, January and February. A bright winter afternoon in New Orleans is worth going out for. The rest of the day is not a failed summer. It is the climate this place actually has.

New Orleans weather by month

TemperatureRainfall

Source: MeteostatPeriod: 1991-2020Checked: 1 Oct 2026358 places covered

Average temperature and rainfall, month by month

Every figure below is a 1991–2020 climate normal for New Orleans, in °C and °F. Open a month for what to expect and what to pack.

New Orleans weather by month: average temperature, rainfall and wind for each month, from 1991–2020 climate normals
MonthAverageRainfall
January12°C / 54°F132 mm
February14°C / 58°F104 mm
March18°C / 64°F111 mm
April21°C / 70°F132 mm
May25°C / 77°F143 mm
June28°C / 82°F194 mm
July29°C / 83°F169 mm
August29°C / 83°F180 mm
September27°C / 81°F128 mm
October22°C / 72°F94 mm
November17°C / 62°F98 mm
December14°C / 56°F123 mm

Where to stay in New Orleans

Dates are a starting point for March.

All hotels in New Orleans

Travel guides for New Orleans

What to read before you book.

All travel guides in New Orleans

Check another month

Now pick a month.

FAQs about New Orleans weather

Climate averages for New Orleans, 1991–2020.

The best time to visit New Orleans is between March and May, the most comfortable stretch of the year on these averages.

July is the hottest month, with an average around 29°C.

June is the wettest month, with about 194 mm of rain.

January is the coolest month, averaging 12°C (54°F) against 29°C (83°F) in July.

This page does not show today's weather. It is a 1991–2020 climate normal from Meteostat — a long-run average of what each month is usually like, which is what you want when booking ahead. For today or the coming week, check a live forecast.

No. These are 1991–2020 climate normals from Meteostat, not a live forecast. Actual weather in any given week can differ.