Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
In Cancun, located just north of the Riviera Maya, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, the climate is
tropical, with a muggy, rainy season from May to October and a cooler, relatively dry season from November to April. However, also in the latter season, rainfall may occur, in addition to wind and cloudiness, especially in December and January.
The average
temperature ranges from 23 °C (74 °F) in January to 28 °C (83 °F) in August. Here are the average temperatures.
Cancun - Average temperatures| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 20 | 27 | 23.2 | 68 | 80 | 73.8 |
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| February | 20 | 28 | 24 | 69 | 82 | 75.3 |
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| March | 22 | 28 | 24.9 | 71 | 83 | 76.8 |
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| April | 23 | 29 | 26.3 | 74 | 85 | 79.4 |
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| May | 24 | 30 | 27.2 | 75 | 86 | 80.9 |
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| June | 25 | 30 | 27.7 | 77 | 87 | 81.9 |
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| July | 25 | 31 | 28 | 76 | 89 | 82.5 |
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| August | 25 | 32 | 28.2 | 77 | 89 | 82.8 |
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| September | 24 | 31 | 27.7 | 76 | 88 | 81.8 |
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| October | 23 | 30 | 26.4 | 73 | 86 | 79.6 |
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| November | 20 | 28 | 24 | 68 | 82 | 75.3 |
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| December | 20 | 27 | 24 | 69 | 81 | 75.2 |
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| Year | 22.6 | 29.3 | 25.95 | 72.8 | 84.8 | 78.5 |
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amounts to about 1,350 millimeters (53 inches) per year, with a minimum in March and April and a maximum in September. Here is the average precipitation.
Cancun - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 65 | 2.6 | 6 |
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| February | 55 | 2.2 | 5 |
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| March | 35 | 1.4 | 3 |
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| April | 40 | 1.6 | 3 |
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| May | 110 | 4.3 | 7 |
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| June | 185 | 7.3 | 12 |
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| July | 130 | 5.1 | 12 |
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| August | 150 | 5.9 | 13 |
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| September | 225 | 8.9 | 14 |
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| October | 185 | 7.3 | 13 |
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| November | 85 | 3.3 | 7 |
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| December | 80 | 3.1 | 7 |
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| Year | 1345 | 53 | 102 |
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The
dry season, from November to April, is warm, with pleasant temperatures, and a warm sea in which you can swim. However, in November, hurricanes and tropical storms can still affect this area (see below), while from late November to early March, the wind from the north, called
el Norte, can blow, bringing cool and windy days, with highs around 22/23 °C (72/73 °F) and lows around 13/15 °C (55/59 °F), and also clouds and some rain.
The
rainy season, from May to October, is hot and above all humid. The breeze tempers a bit the heat, but moisture is high. There is no shortage of sunshine, since the rains occur mainly in the form of showers or thunderstorms, usually short but intense.
The main danger comes from
hurricanes, which can be devastating, although fortunately, they are relatively rare. The hurricane season runs from June to November, although they are more likely from August to October.
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The amount of
sunshine in Cancun is not great, but neither it is poor. The sunniest period is from March to May, ie after the season of northerly disturbances and before the season of hot weather and thunderstorms. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Cancun - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 6 | 185 | February | 7 | 200 | March | 8 | 250 | April | 8 | 240 | May | 8 | 250 | June | 7 | 210 | July | 7 | 215 | August | 7 | 215 | September | 6 | 180 | October | 7 | 215 | November | 6 | 180 | December | 6 | 185 | Year | 6.9 | 2525 |
The
sea near Cancun is warm enough to swim in all year round, as we can see in the following table.
Cancun - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 26 | 79 | February | 26 | 79 | March | 26 | 79 | April | 27 | 81 | May | 28 | 82 | June | 28 | 82 | July | 29 | 84 | August | 29 | 84 | September | 29 | 84 | October | 29 | 84 | November | 28 | 82 | December | 27 | 81 | Year | 27.7 | 81.9 |
Best Time
The
best time to visit Cancun runs from mid-March to late May, which is a warm period, relatively dry and with frequent sunshine. In April, a bit of sultriness begins to be felt, and in May, the first thunderstorms can occur. In winter, from December to mid-March, you may very well find a warm and sunny week, but at other times, there may be a few days with wind, clouds and some rain. Until March, when the
Norte can blow, it can be cool at night, so it's better to bring a sweatshirt for the evening.