Best Time to Visit Mexico: Month and Region Picker
Choose a month and, if you like, what matters most to you: beaches, culture, food, fewer crowds, avoiding rain and heat, or a lower budget. The picker ranks eleven parts of Mexico for that month using average temperatures and rainfall from published climate normals, plus hurricane-season timing from the National Hurricane Center and clearly labelled editorial estimates of crowds and prices. It also lists events whose timing we could verify, such as Day of the Dead, Guelaguetza and whale-watching windows. Below the tool you will find the full month-by-region data tables, so you can compare any two places yourself. It is a planning aid, not a forecast: real weather varies year to year.
Scores are a transparent heuristic (weather, hurricane risk and your priorities), not a forecast. Crowd and price levels are editorial estimates; see the method below.
Hurricane and rainy-season facts (NOAA)
- Atlantic basin (Caribbean coast, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Yucatan): June 1 to November 30 (peak around September 10; most activity mid-August to mid-October). 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes in an average season.
- Eastern Pacific (Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Puerto Escondido, Baja): May 15 to November 30 (most storms late June to early October). 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes in an average season (1991-2020 base period).
- Inland highlands (Mexico City, Guanajuato, Chiapas highlands, Copper Canyon) are rarely hit directly, but remnants add to the June to October rainy season.
Source: NHC and NOAA climatology. Averages are for 1991-2020; individual seasons vary a lot.
12-month by region climate matrix
Average daily high / low temperature, average monthly rainfall, and the editorial hurricane-risk and crowd indices that drive the picker. Switch units with the selector above.
Average daily high / low temperature
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | 22.4/8.5 | 24.3/9.5 | 26.1/11.1 | 27.5/13.1 | 27.2/13.7 | 25.8/13.8 | 24.7/13 | 24.6/13.2 | 23.7/13.1 | 23.5/11.8 | 22.8/9.9 | 22.4/8.5 |
| Oaxaca | 28.9/10.3 | 31.1/11.6 | 33.3/13.6 | 34.9/15.8 | 33.8/16.7 | 30.9/16.7 | 30.1/15.9 | 30/15.9 | 29.1/16.1 | 29.3/14.5 | 29/12.3 | 28.9/11 |
| Yucatan / Merida | 30.8/16.9 | 32.1/17.5 | 34.5/19.1 | 36.3/21 | 36.7/22.3 | 35.1/22.8 | 35/22.6 | 35.1/22.6 | 34.2/22.6 | 32.7/21.4 | 31.6/19.2 | 30.7/17.5 |
| Riviera Maya | 28.5/19.3 | 29.3/19.6 | 30.6/20.8 | 32.1/22.4 | 33.3/23.9 | 33.6/24.6 | 34/24.5 | 34.2/24.5 | 33.3/24.1 | 31.6/23.1 | 30.1/21.5 | 28.9/20 |
| Puerto Vallarta | 26.7/16.7 | 26.7/16.7 | 27.2/17.2 | 27.8/18.9 | 29.4/21.7 | 31.7/25 | 32.2/25 | 32.2/24.4 | 32.2/24.4 | 31.7/23.9 | 30/20.6 | 27.8/17.8 |
| Los Cabos | 26.6/12.8 | 27.1/12.9 | 28.5/13.9 | 30.1/15.4 | 32.1/16.5 | 32.6/18.5 | 34.4/22.4 | 34.7/23.8 | 33.7/23.3 | 33.4/21.2 | 30.4/17.5 | 27.4/14 |
| Puerto Escondido | 28.9/21 | 29.3/21.2 | 30.1/22.3 | 30.8/23.3 | 30.9/24.6 | 29.8/23.9 | 30.2/23.4 | 30/23.4 | 29/23.1 | 29.1/22.7 | 29.4/21.9 | 29/21 |
| Baja (La Paz) | 25.4/12.3 | 26.5/12.8 | 29.3/13.7 | 32.2/15.2 | 35.3/16.9 | 37.4/19.9 | 38.2/23.8 | 37.8/25.2 | 35.9/24.7 | 34/21.2 | 29.8/17.2 | 25.5/13.9 |
| Guanajuato / San Miguel | 22.7/5.9 | 25/7.4 | 28/9.6 | 30.3/12.1 | 31.2/13.8 | 29.4/14.2 | 27.6/13.6 | 27.9/13.8 | 26.6/13.2 | 25.9/11.2 | 24.5/8.6 | 23.1/6.3 |
| Chiapas highlands | 20.9/5.1 | 22/5.3 | 23.2/6.6 | 24/8.5 | 23.1/10.5 | 22/11.9 | 22.4/10.8 | 22.4/11.2 | 21.9/11.5 | 21.5/10.4 | 21/7.9 | 20.5/6.3 |
| Copper Canyon | 13.4/-5.2 | 15.4/-4.5 | 17.7/-3.2 | 21.1/-0.6 | 24.3/2.6 | 27.1/7.4 | 25/10.3 | 24.2/10 | 23.2/7.9 | 21/2.7 | 18.1/-2.2 | 14.7/-4.1 |
Average monthly rainfall (mm)
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | 12 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 59 | 133 | 174 | 176 | 158 | 71 | 17 | 5 |
| Oaxaca | 2 | 5 | 18 | 47 | 98 | 188 | 119 | 132 | 164 | 63 | 9 | 9 |
| Yucatan / Merida | 34 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 67 | 152 | 143 | 152 | 184 | 99 | 42 | 45 |
| Riviera Maya | 56 | 43 | 45 | 37 | 84 | 146 | 111 | 115 | 223 | 242 | 113 | 80 |
| Puerto Vallarta | 34 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 188 | 328 | 312 | 370 | 94 | 20 | 23 |
| Los Cabos | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 85 | 110 | 25 | 17 | 7 |
| Puerto Escondido | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 56 | 152 | 101 | 140 | 160 | 108 | 18 | 2 |
| Baja (La Paz) | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 46 | 81 | 17 | 6 | 7 |
| Guanajuato / San Miguel | 17 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 41 | 127 | 167 | 123 | 120 | 43 | 15 | 6 |
| Chiapas highlands | 10 | 9 | 16 | 37 | 141 | 235 | 141 | 180 | 229 | 106 | 32 | 9 |
| Copper Canyon | 49 | 33 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 64 | 155 | 138 | 89 | 47 | 27 | 49 |
Storm risk (editorial index 0-3) and crowd level (1-5)
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 2 | none / 2 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 2 | none / 3 | none / 5 | none / 4 |
| Oaxaca | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 4 | none / 3 | none / 2 | none / 2 | none / 5 | none / 3 | low / 2 | low / 4 | none / 5 | none / 4 |
| Yucatan / Merida | none / 4 | none / 4 | none / 3 | none / 2 | none / 1 | low / 1 | low / 2 | low / 2 | elevated / 1 | elevated / 2 | low / 3 | none / 4 |
| Riviera Maya | none / 5 | none / 5 | none / 5 | none / 4 | none / 2 | low / 2 | low / 4 | elevated / 4 | peak / 2 | peak / 2 | low / 3 | none / 5 |
| Puerto Vallarta | none / 5 | none / 5 | none / 5 | none / 4 | low / 2 | low / 1 | elevated / 2 | elevated / 2 | peak / 1 | peak / 2 | low / 3 | none / 5 |
| Los Cabos | none / 5 | none / 5 | none / 5 | none / 4 | none / 3 | low / 2 | low / 2 | elevated / 2 | peak / 2 | peak / 3 | low / 4 | none / 5 |
| Puerto Escondido | none / 4 | none / 4 | none / 3 | none / 3 | low / 2 | elevated / 2 | elevated / 3 | elevated / 3 | peak / 2 | elevated / 2 | low / 3 | none / 5 |
| Baja (La Paz) | none / 4 | none / 4 | none / 4 | none / 3 | none / 2 | low / 1 | low / 1 | elevated / 1 | peak / 1 | peak / 2 | low / 3 | none / 4 |
| Guanajuato / San Miguel | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 4 | none / 2 | none / 2 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 4 | none / 4 | none / 4 |
| Chiapas highlands | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 4 | none / 2 | none / 2 | none / 3 | low / 3 | low / 2 | low / 2 | none / 3 | none / 4 |
| Copper Canyon | none / 2 | none / 2 | none / 3 | none / 4 | none / 2 | none / 2 | none / 3 | none / 3 | low / 2 | none / 3 | none / 3 | none / 3 |
Climate stations and data basis
| Region | Station | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico City (Tacubaya observatory) | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia. Table |
| Oaxaca City and central valleys | Oaxaca (city) | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia. Table |
| Yucatan and Merida (inland Maya country) | Merida (Centro / Observatorio) | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia. Table |
| Riviera Maya and Caribbean coast (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum) | Cancun (airport observatory) | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia. Table |
| Puerto Vallarta and the Nayarit-Jalisco Pacific coast | Puerto Vallarta | WMO / Weatherbase figures as printed on Wikipedia (older record, not SMN 1991-2020). Table |
| Los Cabos (Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo) | Cabo San Lucas | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia. Table |
| Puerto Escondido and the Oaxaca coast | Puerto Escondido | Weather Atlas climate averages (not an SMN table). Table |
| Baja California Sur (La Paz, Todos Santos, Loreto) | La Paz | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia (northern Baja, e.g. Ensenada, has a different climate and is not modelled). Table |
| Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende (colonial highlands) | Average of Guanajuato (OBS) and San Miguel de Allende (SMN) station normals | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia; the two stations are averaged by this site. Table |
| Chiapas highlands (San Cristobal de las Casas) | San Cristobal de las Casas (La Cabana) | SMN 1991-2020 normals via Wikipedia. Table |
| Copper Canyon (Creel, Chihuahua) | Creel | SMN 1951-2010 normals via Wikipedia (older base period; canyon floors are far hotter than Creel). Table |
How the picker works
Pick a month and the tool scores each region from 0 to 100. The base score is weather comfort: a temperature component that penalises daily highs above 30 C and cold highs or nights, a rainfall component (about 220 mm in a month scores zero), and a penalty for hurricane-season risk. If you tick priorities, each adds a score of its own: beaches use temperature, rain, storm risk and (on the Caribbean coast) sargassum risk; culture and food use fixed editorial ratings of each region adjusted for weather; crowds and budget use the editorial 1-5 seasonal levels; and avoiding rain and heat combines rainfall and highs. With nothing ticked, weather counts for three-fifths of the score and crowds and price for one-fifth each; with priorities ticked, weather counts as one equal share alongside each priority you pick.
What the numbers mean
Temperatures and rainfall are long-term averages for one station per region, so a mountain village, a canyon floor or the next beach over can differ noticeably. Mexico City, Guanajuato and the Chiapas highlands sit at 1,800 to 2,300 m, so nights are cool even when days are warm. The Pacific resort coast and Los Cabos are dry in winter and very wet or storm-exposed late in summer; the Caribbean coast is wetter in autumn and affected by sargassum in late spring and summer.
What it does not cover
It does not forecast any particular year, and it does not quote prices: crowd and price levels are our estimates of normal seasonality, with the biggest jumps at Christmas and New Year, Holy Week (the dates move; 2027 is 21 to 28 March), Day of the Dead and the Guelaguetza in July. Events appear only where we could verify a window; whale-watching seasons in particular shift from year to year, so confirm with operators. Northern Baja, the Pacific coast of Guerrero, Michoacan and Chiapas, and Mexico's Gulf coast are not modelled. For safety conditions, see our safety guide, and for what a trip costs once you pick a month, try the Mexico trip budget calculator.
Data last verified 2026-10-22. Prices, hours and rules change; confirm with the official source before you go.
Sources
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: hurricane season dates
- NOAA: Tropical cyclone climatology (Atlantic and eastern Pacific)
- Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (SMN/CONAGUA) 1991-2020 normals as printed in Wikipedia climate tables, e.g. Mexico City (other pages linked in the station table)
- Weather Atlas: Puerto Escondido climate
- UNESCO: Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead (Day of the Dead)
- Mexico tourism listing: Guelaguetza Lunes del Cerro 2026
- Riviera Maya News / Mexico News Daily: sargassum season reporting
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to visit Mexico overall?
There is no single best month, but November to April is the dry season for most of the country, so it is the easiest window for first trips. Late October to early November adds Day of the Dead but brings peak crowds in Mexico City and Oaxaca, and the Caribbean coast is still in hurricane season until the end of November.
When is hurricane season in Mexico?
The NOAA National Hurricane Center defines the Atlantic season (Caribbean coast, Yucatan) as June 1 to November 30, with a peak around September 10. The eastern Pacific season (Pacific resort coast, Los Cabos, Puerto Escondido) runs May 15 to November 30, with most storms from late June to early October. Most storms miss any given resort, but September and October carry the most risk.
Is the rainy season a bad time to go?
Not always. In the interior (Mexico City, Oaxaca, Guanajuato) rain usually falls as afternoon downpours and mornings are often clear, with fewer tourists and lower prices. On the Pacific resort coast, July to September can bring days of very heavy rain, so it is a bigger trade-off for a beach trip.
Where do the temperatures and rainfall figures come from?
They are monthly averages from published climate normals, mostly the 1991-2020 normals of Mexico's Servicio Meteorologico Nacional as printed in Wikipedia climate tables. Puerto Vallarta uses an older WMO/Weatherbase table, Puerto Escondido uses Weather Atlas, and Copper Canyon uses 1951-2010 normals. Each table names its station and basis.
How are crowd and price levels decided?
They are editorial estimates of typical seasonality (for example peak around Christmas, Holy Week and Day of the Dead), not measured data or quoted prices. Use them to compare months, and check live prices before you book.