April brings 30°C daytime highs, 30mm of precipitation across about 2 wet days and 12.5 hours of daylight — best for beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is February to April. October is the quietest month: wetter, but peaceful, and still good for green season and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Cancun. Month ratings compare months within Cancun only — they are not a ranking of Cancun against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | April — Beach days, Swimming, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | February–April |
| Quietest month | October — Wetter, but peaceful |
| Driest month | April — 30mm |
| Wettest month | October — 246mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 33°C / February 28°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 1340mm over roughly 105 rain days |
October gets roughly 720% more precipitation than April — 246mm against 30mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 5°C across the whole year (28–33°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
June gives you 13.3 hours of daylight against just 10.7 in December — a 3-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
April is the driest month at 30mm across roughly 2 wet days, while October peaks at 246mm.
March is almost as good as April, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Cancun changes character completely through the year — April and October are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Cancun, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Cancun beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★★ | 28°C / 20°C | 61mm | 5 | 8h | 10.8h | Beach days · Swimming |
| February | ★★★★★ | 28°C / 20°C | 41mm | 3 | 8h | 11.3h | Beach days · Swimming |
| March | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 21°C | 31mm | 2 | 8h | 11.9h | Beach days · Swimming |
| April | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 22°C | 30mm | 2 | 9h | 12.5h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| May | ★★★★☆ | 31°C / 23°C | 85mm | 7 | 6h | 13h | Beach days · Swimming |
| June | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 175mm | 14 | 5h | 13.3h | Beach days · Swimming · Green season |
| July | ★★★☆☆ | 33°C / 25°C | 105mm | 8 | 5h | 13.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★☆☆☆ | 33°C / 25°C | 135mm | 11 | 5h | 12.7h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| September | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 235mm | 19 | 5h | 12.1h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 23°C | 246mm | 20 | 4h | 11.5h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| November | ★★★★☆ | 30°C / 22°C | 100mm | 8 | 6h | 11h | Beach days · Swimming |
| December | ★★★★★ | 29°C / 21°C | 60mm | 5 | 8h | 10.7h | Beach days · Swimming |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | April | 9h daily sunshine, 30°C highs and only 2 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | March | 29°C highs with 11.9h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | April | 9h of sun and 12.5h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | January | Scores 73/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | February | 28°C highs and 20°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Cancun is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
April is the best all-round month in Cancun: 30°C highs, 30mm of precipitation and 12.5 hours of daylight, which suits beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is February to April.
October — 31°C highs, 246mm of precipitation over roughly 20 days and 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for green season and quiet and local.
April is the driest month at 30mm over about 2 rain days, against 246mm in October. Across the year Cancun records around 1340mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. April suits beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine, while October suits green season and quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 10.7 hours in December to 13.3 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.