ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

New Orleans in July

New Orleans in July: 76% of days see measurable rain, 88°F average high, 7% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

New Orleans in July is historically a poor month for sun: only 7% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 88°F). October is the clearest month for New Orleans historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live New Orleans page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late July

Clear-sky percentage for New Orleans in July, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early July 1st–15th	6%	n=120	88°F
Late July 16th–end	8%	n=128	88°F
Full month average	7%	n=248	88°F

Sunshine & warmth in July

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for New Orleans in July. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early July 1st–15th	88%	n=120
Late July 16th–end	89%	n=128
Full month average	89%	n=248

11.7 h median sunshine per day 80% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 76% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 7%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 89%. The 82-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

New Orleans is a poor choice for sun in July: just 7% of days clear historically (n=248). October is the historically strongest month for sun here. The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

→ See all destinations in October — historically the best month for sun in New Orleans.

Every month in New Orleans

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for New Orleans, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	2%	n=248	All destinations →
February	6%	n=226	All destinations →
March	15%	n=248	All destinations →
April	34%	n=240	All destinations →
May	30%	n=248	All destinations →
June	14%	n=240	All destinations →
July ← this page	7%	n=248	All destinations →
August	15%	n=248	All destinations →
September	28%	n=240	All destinations →
October	42%	n=248	All destinations →
November	20%	n=240	All destinations →
December	6%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in New Orleans in July?

Yes, frequently. In New Orleans, 76% of days in July see measurable rain, based on 8 years of ERA5 historical data (n=248 days, 2018–2025). This is a historical average, not a forecast.

Is New Orleans good for sun in July?

Not usually. New Orleans is historically overcast in July: only 7% of days are clear (avg high 88°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025). October is historically far better for sun here.

→ New Orleans live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in July — all destinations ranked by July clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.