Best time to visit New Orleans for good weather
When is the best weather in New Orleans? Monthly breakdown of temperature, rainfall, and sunshine hours — ranked by what actually matters for your trip.
Best month
April
Jazz Fest weekend (late April): the city's other peak event — 500,000 people, 12 stages, the best live music in America.
↑New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (last weekend of April, first of May): 12 stages at the Fairgrounds with everyone from local brass bands to international headliners — the world's greatest concentrated live music event
↑26°C and low humidity: the single most comfortable weather window of the year for outdoor eating, walking, and the festival grounds
↑French Quarter Festival (early April) is entirely free and draws the best local brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians to outdoor stages throughout the Quarter
All months ranked — Good weather
Best match
Jazz Fest weekend (late April): the city's other peak event — 500,000 people, 12 stages, the best live music in America.
#1 for good weather
Best match
The city reawakens as hurricane season closes: Voodoo Fest, pleasant temperatures, and a city that feels genuinely itself again.
#2 for good weather
Best match
Jazz Fest first weekend closes out the festival season before summer heat and humidity take hold.
#3 for good weather
Best match
Spring arrives and the city recovers from Mardi Gras with St Patrick's Day parades and warming temperatures.
#4 for good weather
Best match
The quiet sweet spot before Thanksgiving: excellent conditions, low prices, and the city fully operational without the crowds.
#5 for good weather
Strong option
Réveillon dinners, holiday lights on St Charles, and a city that takes Christmas seriously — at premium December prices.
#6 for good weather
Strong option
Mardi Gras season ignites: krewe balls begin and the city starts its slow build toward February.
#7 for good weather
Strong option
Mardi Gras: the greatest free street party in North America. Also the most expensive hotel week of the year.
#8 for good weather
Strong option
Essence Music Festival brings a major weekend, but the heat-humidity combination is now genuinely punishing.
#9 for good weather
Avoid
Peak hurricane season. The cheapest prices of the year do not compensate for the genuine life-safety risk.
#10 for good weather
Worth considering
Extreme heat and building hurricane risk make July a month for the committed or the heat-adapted only.
#11 for good weather
Avoid
Still peak hurricane season — statistically the most active month for Gulf storms. Avoid unless you have no choice.
#12 for good weather