New Orleans, LA Climate & Monthly Averages
New Orleans has a humid subtropical climate. August is the hottest month, averaging 88° by day; January is the coldest at 61°.
Sunshine is a defining feature of New Orleans's climate
New Orleans is genuinely wet: 68.7 inches (1746 mm) falls in an average year, across 163 days that carry about 10.7 mm each when they come. Temperatures are the calmer variable, running 61°F (16°C) to 88°F (31°C) between January and August.
How sun, temperature and rain fit together
At its warmest, in August, New Orleans runs to 88°F (31°C) in the afternoon and back to 78°F (26°C) by dawn. January is the coolest month, with highs of 61°F (16°C) and lows near 48°F (9°C). The gridded 2015-2024 daily record for this location tops out at 102°F (39°C) and bottoms at 22°F (-5°C) - decade extremes, not all-time station records. Precipitation concentrates in August - 8.9 inches (225 mm) on 20 days - and thins out by November.
Six of the twelve months pair mild highs with fewer than twelve wet days; the longest unbroken run is February through April. Sunshine averages 9.4 hours a day over the year, peaking in June at 11.3 hours.
More climate facts for New Orleans
- Hottest month: August - highs near 88°F (31°C)
- Coldest month: January - highs near 61°F (16°C)
- Decade extremes (2015-2024): 102°F (39°C) high · 22°F (-5°C) low
- Wettest month: August (20 rainy days) · Sunniest: June (11.3 h sun/day)
- Climate type: humid subtropical
- Annual swing: 16°C between the average warmest and coolest month · day to night: 7°C
- Months averaging 30°C or hotter: 3
- Average humidity: 78%
The most comfortable sunny-weather window
Best time to visit New Orleans
Aim for January to April and October to November if you get the choice: warm days, manageable rainfall and plenty of daylight line up, and highs average 71°F (22°C) against roughly 11 wet days a month. For the same question asked the other way round, see where else is warm in January.
What to pack
Pack for New Orleans with light clothing for the warm months, proper waterproofs rather than an umbrella - wet days are the norm here and moisture-wicking fabrics for the humidity. August nights average 78°F (26°C), so evenings rarely match the afternoons.
Monthly climate table
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Precipitation | Sunshine | Daylight | Wet-day chance | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 48° | 12 | 4.5 in | 7.5 h/day | 10.4 h | 37% | 76% |
| February | 66° | 53° | 11 | 4.2 in | 8.0 h/day | 11.1 h | 39% | 78% |
| March | 72° | 59° | 12 | 5.1 in | 9.0 h/day | 11.9 h | 37% | 77% |
| April | 76° | 63° | 12 | 4.8 in | 9.8 h/day | 12.9 h | 39% | 74% |
| May | 83° | 71° | 14 | 5.4 in | 11.1 h/day | 13.6 h | 44% | 76% |
| June | 87° | 76° | 18 | 7.8 in | 11.3 h/day | 14.1 h | 60% | 79% |
| July | 88° | 78° | 21 | 8.0 in | 10.7 h/day | 13.9 h | 69% | 82% |
| August | 88° | 78° | 20 | 8.9 in | 10.0 h/day | 13.2 h | 64% | 80% |
| September | 85° | 75° | 15 | 6.6 in | 10.2 h/day | 12.3 h | 50% | 79% |
| October | 79° | 67° | 8 | 4.1 in | 9.6 h/day | 11.4 h | 26% | 75% |
| November | 70° | 58° | 10 | 3.7 in | 8.1 h/day | 10.6 h | 32% | 76% |
| December | 65° | 53° | 12 | 5.6 in | 7.1 h/day | 10.2 h | 37% | 80% |
New Orleans month by month
Each card shows the average high and low. The bar places that month between New Orleans's coldest night and warmest afternoon.
January
- Rain
- 12 days
- Sunshine
- 7.5 h
- Daylight
- 10.4 h
February
- Rain
- 11 days
- Sunshine
- 8.0 h
- Daylight
- 11.1 h
March
- Rain
- 12 days
- Sunshine
- 9.0 h
- Daylight
- 11.9 h
April
- Rain
- 12 days
- Sunshine
- 9.8 h
- Daylight
- 12.9 h
May
- Rain
- 14 days
- Sunshine
- 11.1 h
- Daylight
- 13.6 h
June
- Rain
- 18 days
- Sunshine
- 11.3 h
- Daylight
- 14.1 h
July
- Rain
- 21 days
- Sunshine
- 10.7 h
- Daylight
- 13.9 h
August
- Rain
- 20 days
- Sunshine
- 10.0 h
- Daylight
- 13.2 h
September
- Rain
- 15 days
- Sunshine
- 10.2 h
- Daylight
- 12.3 h
October
- Rain
- 8 days
- Sunshine
- 9.6 h
- Daylight
- 11.4 h
November
- Rain
- 10 days
- Sunshine
- 8.1 h
- Daylight
- 10.6 h
December
- Rain
- 12 days
- Sunshine
- 7.1 h
- Daylight
- 10.2 h
Looking for warmer alternatives? Browse warm places by month, or compare New Orleans's coolest part of the year: January, December, February.
Seasonal weather under New Orleans's sunnier skies
Spring (March through May)
Spring brings comfortable warmth here - highs near 77°F (25°C), nights near 64°F (18°C), and rain falls on around 37 of the 90 days.
Summer (June through August)
Summer runs hot here - highs near 88°F (31°C), nights near 77°F (25°C), and rain falls on around 59 of the 90 days. Daylight is generous - around 10.7 hours of sun a day. With the moisture factored in, afternoons feel hotter than the reading suggests - the humidity and dew point converter shows why.
Fall (September through November)
Through fall, New Orleans is mild and warm: 78°F (26°C) by day, 66°F (19°C) after dark, and rain falls on around 33 of the 90 days.
Winter (December through February)
Through winter, New Orleans stays on the cool side of mild: 64°F (18°C) by day, 51°F (11°C) after dark, and rain falls on around 34 of the 90 days.
How unusual is New Orleans?
- Annual precipitation is 68.7 inches (1746 mm) - wetter than 88% of the 3496 cities we track.
These comparisons use the same ten-year window for every city in the dataset.
New Orleans temperature extremes in the 2015–2024 dataset
Derived from ERA5 reanalysis data, 2015–2024. Official station records may differ. Need another precipitation unit? Use the rainfall converter.