Best time to visit New Orleans

November is the best month in New Orleans, scoring 83 out of 100, with August the weakest at 48. The 35-point spread means timing is worth planning around without being decisive. 5 of the twelve months sit within ten points of the best, so there is more than one right answer.

July is the warmest month at 30.7 °C and January the coolest at 15.5 °C — a 15.2 °C spread across the year. Around 73 days a year top 30 °C, concentrated in July and the months either side.

There is a real wet season here. June to August carry the rain — up to 24 wet days in a month — while January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December drop as low as 8. That 16-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in New Orleans, and it moves further than the temperature does.

Daylight runs from 10.2 hours in winter to 14.1 in summer, enough to notice on a sightseeing itinerary.

The three strongest months are November, March, October. The one to think twice about is August. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight and crowd levels.

New Orleans month by month