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how cold does it get in mexico

Every year, on or around December 21, Mexico’s winter season starts. Although the shift in seasons is not as noticeable as it is farther north in the hemisphere, if you’re living or visiting You’ll notice a noticeable difference in the air and its temps here at this time of year.

Seasonal changes and cooler air temperatures

The climate in Mexico begins to turn during the Autumn starting in late September, higher altitude temperatures will start to feel typically colder. By mid-to-late December, towns and cities situated at higher elevations can feel chilly or even cold after sundown, and in the early hours of the morning.

Depending on where you are in Mexico, the temperature shift may not feel as noticeable. Areas situated at lower elevations and near the coasts lose their high humidity and heat to become pleasantly warm, whereas the central highlands and some areas along the Gulf Coast are cooler and also become subject to temporary cold fronts from the north, or nortes as they are often known in Spanish, which may bring chilly wind gusts and even nightly frost for a few days at a time.

In most winter days, daily high temperatures may reach a comfortably comfortable 21 to 23 degrees centigrade, or 70 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold spells sometimes pass surprisingly rapidly.

Cooler winters in Mexico’s central highland regions

As we outlined in a related article, Mexico is a land of three lands include low-lying coastal lowlands, central highland regions, and some towns perched on mountaintops.

The central highlands of Mexico have a variety of winter weather, from mild to chilly and sometimes even becoming frigid.

Mexico’s northern regions (as well as Mexico’s Copper Canyon ) may encounter below-freezing temperatures and precipitation throughout the winter.

Winter temperatures can vary from being comfortably warm during the day to freezing overnight in the central highland states of Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas, as well as the central western highland areas of Guadalajara and Chapala/Ajijic, and Pátzcuaro and Morelia in the state of Michoacán. cold spells brought by storm fronts coming from the north.

Between late November and early February, temperatures in the valley of Mexico City, which is located at an altitude of around 7,300 feet above sea level, may seem rather chilly and sometimes freezing.

Where to find warmth during winter months in Mexico

You must be located in lower-lying places, or close to water, to get warmth in December, January, and February. Mexico’s coasts .

Los Cabos and Baja California Sur, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Cancún and the Riviera Maya, Manzanillo, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Huatulco, Mérida and the Yucatán peninsula —places which can get very hot during the summer months— tend to enjoy gloriously comfortable and warm temperatures during the winter, which is why they are so popular with part-time winter residents, sometimes referred to as “snowbirds.” These are also popular winter vacation locations for Mexicans who live in the highlands, who could go to the coast for a few days to enjoy some sweet, warm air, particularly if a cold front stays.

Further south, in less arid states and those which slope down to the coasts, the climate tends to be more temperate year-round, and while winters can feel cool and be subject to cold spells, they don’t get as cold as those states situated further north. The states of Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas are less likely to experience cold or below-freezing temperatures in the winter.

The state of Michoacán is one of the states west of Mexico City that has a combination of highland areas inland and coastal plains as you travel further west and down to the Pacific. As a result, temperatures can vary greatly: Pátzcuaro will feel chilly or cold after sundown in the winter months, while the climate becomes comfortably warm after three hours of driving west to Zihuatanejo.

Enjoy Mexico’s long daylight hours, even during winter

Regardless of temps, Mexico’s climate has a lot to offer. it offers long hours of daylight all year-round . During winter, daylight hours do shorten a little, and while much of the country observes Daylight Savings Time, most places in Mexico enjoy between ten and eleven hours of daylight every day of the year—in contrast to other countries further away from the equator where the amount of daylight in the dead of winter might be as low as five hours.

Winter brings the Monarch Butterflies to Mexico

The Monarch Butterflies begin to arrive in Mexico beginning in mid-November. The highland oyamel fir-tree forests where they overwinter are coldest during December, causing the insects to cluster together on the trees for warmth, so if you want to see the butterflies in a more active state, then the ideal time to visit them is from mid-January to mid-March —the peak viewing season— when the daytime temperatures are warmer.

Late winter climates in Mexico

By late January, you may feel the climate changing once again, and by late February, the central highlands’ evening and overnight temperatures can return to feeling comfortably cool as winter gives way to spring. spring in Mexico , ushering-in some of the driest days of the year before the rain season returns in May or June.

As the winter months come to an end, the temperatures along the coastlines start to rise from a pleasant warmth to a higher temperature during the spring, which is also when the humidity returns to areas located on and near the shore.

Discover Mexico’s weather and climates

As you decide on your way of life and your leisure activities, Mexperience assists you in learning about Mexico’s unique geography and climate:

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