How Hot Is It In Oaxaca?

Oaxaca City, the capital of the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, is an inland highland city in the Valles Centrales at about 1,550 m, and its heat behaves like a mountain city's heat, not a coastal one. The SMN station in the city records a mean daily high of 30.8 C across the year, but that average hides a wide day to night swing: overnight lows average just 14.2 C. The year splits into a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October, with April's mean daily high at 34.9 C and January's mean overnight low at 10.3 C.

The figures on this page come from the SMN climate normals for station 20079 in Oaxaca, covering 1991 to 2020. That record is what a planning question like this one should be answered with, and it is the same record used across this site, including in the month by month breakdown in the Oaxaca weather by month guide. For planning a first visit, the how many days in Oaxaca is enough question pairs naturally with the temperature picture below.

On the SMN station normals for Oaxaca City, the mean daily high ranges from 28.9 C in January and December to 34.9 C in April, with an annual mean high of 30.8 C. Overnight, mean lows range from 10.3 C in January to 16.7 C in June and May, an annual mean low of 14.2 C. Afternoons are warm to hot on paper, while nights are mild to cool, because the city sits at about 1,550 m in the Valles Centrales.

That spread matters more than any single number. A day that reaches 33.3 C in March typically starts from a morning near 13.6 C, so the same 24 hours can call for a light jacket before sunrise and shade at midday. Visitors comparing Oaxaca with the Pacific coast, a far extension of the region rather than a local trip, should expect the city to run cooler than the sea-level destinations of Puerto Escondido, Mazunte and Huatulco, which sit about 165 minutes away by the new highway.

The altitude also means the city never sees winter snow, and the rainy season, May to October, arrives mostly as afternoon and evening rain: June averages 188.3 mm across the month, with 19.9 days of measurable rain, while January averages 2.4 mm across 1.4 days. Heat and rain are therefore linked: the rainy summer months are not the months with the highest daytime highs, and the dry spring months are.

What Are The Temperatures Month By Month In Oaxaca?

The table below prints the SMN station 20079 normals for Oaxaca City, 1991 to 2020: mean daily high, mean overnight low, monthly rainfall and average days with rain for every month of the year. April carries the highest mean daily high at 34.9 C, June the highest monthly rainfall at 188.3 mm, and January the lowest mean overnight low at 10.3 C. Annual rainfall totals 853.3 mm.

Read the table by season rather than by single rows. November through April is the dry season, with every month from November to March under 20 mm of rain. May through October is the rainy season, peaking June to September, when the count of days with measurable rain climbs above 19 in each of those four months. The pattern is consistent enough to plan around: dry season days trade lower rain for the highest afternoon highs, while rainy season days trade a few degrees of heat for near-daily rain.

Two practical readings follow. First, the months with the most rain, June through September, are not the months with the warmest afternoons: April's 34.9 C mean high sits well above September's 29.1 C. Second, the day to night swing is widest in the dry season: March spans 33.3 C by day and 13.6 C by night, a gap of nearly 20 degrees, so layered clothing earns its place in a bag.

For readers weighing a visit month against everything else the city offers, the best month to go to Oaxaca question and the things to do in Oaxaca round up carry the wider planning picture.

Walking the historic centre is one of the most temperature-sensitive activities, since the Andador Macedonio Alcalá and the Zócalo are seen on foot. A guided option such as the Historic Center walking tour with a professional local guide pairs well with the cooler morning hours, and Check availability on the operator's booking page before locking a start time.

How Do Oaxaca Temperatures Change Between The Dry And Rainy Seasons?

The dry season, November to April, brings the highest afternoon readings, with mean highs rising from 28.9 C in January to 34.9 C in April while rain stays under 50 mm a month. The rainy season, May to October, brings mean highs between 29.1 and 33.8 C and monthly rain between 63.1 and 188.3 mm, with measurable rain on roughly two days in three from June through September.

The transition is gradual rather than abrupt. March averages just 17.6 mm of rain but already reaches 33.3 C by day. May keeps a 33.8 C mean high while nearly doubling March's rainfall to 97.9 mm, and by June the rain total jumps to 188.3 mm as the mean high drops to 30.9 C. On the far side of the season, October falls back to 63.1 mm and November to 9.1 mm, closing the loop back to the dry months.

Rainy season travel is workable and has its own shape: the rain-day counts of 19.9 to 21.4 days from June to September mean a visit should assume frequent rain, not treat it as a surprise. The site's Oaxaca in the rain and Oaxaca in the rainy season pages take that planning further. Indoor and covered activities, from markets to cooking classes to the museums, are the standard wet-weather answer.

A cooking class is the classic temperature-proof activity, since it moves the day indoors and around a market. The Traditional Oaxacan cooking class is one such option, and the question of what food Oaxaca is famous for sets out what a class typically covers.

Why Does Highland Oaxaca Feel Cooler Than Coastal Mexico?

Oaxaca City sits at about 1,550 m in the Valles Centrales, and the SMN station recording these normals stands at 1,594 m, high ground that keeps annual mean highs at 30.8 C and annual mean lows at 14.2 C. The Pacific coast destinations of the same state, Puerto Escondido, Mazunte and Huatulco, sit at sea level roughly 165 minutes away by the new highway, and a sea-level climate does not cool at night the way a valley at this altitude does.

The practical difference shows up in the overnight column. Even in the rainy season, when the city's mean lows sit at their annual peak of 15.9 to 16.7 C, highland nights stay in a range that rarely calls for air conditioning, while afternoons still reach around 30 C. The dry season widens the swing: January pairs a 28.9 C mean high with a 10.3 C mean low.

That pattern also governs day trip planning. Valley destinations such as Mitla, about 37 minutes from the Zócalo, and Hierve el Agua, about 57 minutes, sit within the same highland climate regime, so the city's temperature picture travels with you across the Valles Centrales. The coast is a different climate and a different trip; the site's Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido page covers that extension separately.

How Should You Dress For Oaxaca Weather?

Dress for a wide daily swing rather than for a single temperature: with mean highs of 28.9 to 34.9 C and mean lows of 10.3 to 16.7 C across the year, a typical day in Oaxaca City calls for light clothing for the afternoon plus a layer for mornings and evenings, and the rainy season, May to October, adds a rain option on roughly two days in three from June to September.

In the dry season the layer is non negotiable. A March afternoon averages 33.3 C while a March night averages 13.6 C, a near 20 degree gap, and December and January nights average 11.0 and 10.3 C. In the rainy season the swing narrows, with June through August spanning mean lows of 15.9 to 16.7 C and mean highs of 30.0 to 30.9 C, but the rain-day counts of about 20 per month make a light rain jacket or umbrella the item that earns its place.

Footwear and sun follow from the same numbers. Afternoon highs near or above 30 C in every month of the year mean sun protection matters year round at this altitude, and the city's sightseeing, from the Andador Macedonio Alcalá to the craft villages of the valley, is done on foot. The is Oaxaca a walkable city question covers how much of it can be covered on foot, and the what to wear in Oaxaca page extends the packing picture.

Does It Ever Get Cold At Night In Oaxaca?

Yes, by the standards of a Mexican vacation: January's mean overnight low is 10.3 C and December's is 11.0 C, with November at 12.3 C and February at 11.6 C, all from the SMN station normals for the city. There is no winter snow in Oaxaca City at about 1,550 m, but dry season nights are genuinely cool and the December to January period carries the lowest mean lows of the year.

The rainy season does the opposite overnight: May and June average 16.7 C lows, the annual peak, so a summer visit is warmer at night than a winter one even though its afternoons are a few degrees cooler. Anyone booking accommodation for the December to January window should expect to want an extra blanket, and anyone visiting in April should expect the year's warmest afternoons at 34.9 C mean high alongside a still mild 15.8 C mean low.

The November picture deserves its own note for festival planners. November averages a 29.0 C mean high, a 12.3 C mean low and just 9.1 mm of rain across 3.5 rain days, which is why the Día de Muertos period, centred traditionally on 31 October to 2 November, falls in an early dry season window. The site's Día de Muertos in Oaxaca page covers the festival itself.

Valley day trips run long days by nature, and the temperature logic of timing applies to them too. A loop such as the Hierve el Agua, Tule Tree, Mitla and Mezcal Distillery tour moves between the city climate and the same highland valley regime, so the same morning cool and afternoon heat pattern follows the route. For readers still deciding whether the city justifies the trip at all, is Oaxaca worth visiting answers that directly, and the editorial home of this site, Oaxaca Travel Guide, holds the full range of planning pages.

Common Questions About Oaxaca Heat

How Hot Is It In Oaxaca?

Oaxaca City's mean daily highs run from 28.9 C in January and December to 34.9 C in April on the SMN station normals, with an annual mean high of 30.8 C. Overnight lows average between 10.3 and 16.7 C depending on the month.

What Is The Rainiest Month In Oaxaca?

June, with 188.3 mm of rain on average across 19.9 days with measurable rain. September follows at 163.6 mm across 21.4 days, and the rainy season runs May to October.

Does Oaxaca Get Cold At Night?

By vacation standards, yes. December and January average overnight lows of 11.0 and 10.3 C, and the dry season from November to April is the cooler half of the year at night. There is no winter snow in the city.

Is Oaxaca Hotter Than The Coast?

No. Oaxaca City is an inland highland city at about 1,550 m, and its nights cool well below sea-level destinations. The Pacific coast of the same state is a separate, far extension of a trip, roughly 165 minutes away by the new highway to Puerto Escondido.

When Is The Dry Season In Oaxaca?

November to April, with every month from November to March averaging under 20 mm of rain. The dry season also carries the highest afternoon temperatures, peaking at a 34.9 C mean high in April.

With mean highs between 28.9 and 34.9 C and nights that can drop to 10.3 C, Oaxaca City rewards packing for two climates in one day, and the month table above is the honest basis for choosing which two.