December to April. Month by month below, with the weather, what's on and what it costs to fly there from your city.
December to April is the dry season with sunny skies and lower humidity, but also peak crowds and prices. Late April to June and November are the cheaper shoulder windows.
6 of the 13 travel guides we read name these months.
Average high and low in Cancún, and days with rain
Best timeJanuaryChecking fares…January brings peak sun and peak prices, with low humidity, minimal rain and calm seas.January is one of the best months for inland ruins like Chichen Itza without sweltering heat; seaweed risk is low.Mid-January to early March is a sweet spot: high-season weather without the holiday rush.Day Zero Tulum
Best timeFebruaryChecking fares…Carnaval in February raises prices and crowds further.February is called the sweet spot, similar to January and often slightly warmer.February is dry and sunny, with water at its coolest near 26 C but still comfortable.
Best timeMarchChecking fares…March is the spring break surge, with party travelers filling the Hotel Zone.On March 21 the spring equinox shows the serpent effect at Chichen Itza, 2.5 hours away.March is the legendary Spring Break season, and the Hotel Zone is very crowded.Descent of Kukulcan
Best timeAprilChecking fares…April is often the driest month, with ideal beach weather but intense sun.Easter (Semana Santa) brings a large domestic-tourist wave and busy beaches.The Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival is held in April.
MayChecking fares…May has warm water and fewer crowds, though afternoon rain and sargassum can begin.Whale shark migration season begins along the Yucatan coast in May.Sea turtles begin to arrive; humidity becomes noticeable.
JuneChecking fares…June starts the rainy season with short downpours and better hotel deals; whale shark tours open mid-June.June 1 starts the Atlantic hurricane season; expect short, heavy afternoon showers.June through early August is great for underwater adventures and whale sharks near Isla Mujeres.Flamingo nesting at Río Lagartos
JulyChecking fares…July is hot and humid with brief afternoon storms, the warmest water and a family-travel wave.July and August are the only months with nesting adults, hatchlings and whale sharks together.July and August are a second peak, with extreme humidity and highs around 90 F.
AugustChecking fares…August brings climbing rainfall, the hottest sea temperatures, and a hurricane risk lower than September.Sargassum peaks around July and August.August to October is the period travelers worry about most for hurricanes.
SeptemberChecking fares…September is statistically the wettest month and the peak of hurricane season, with the lowest prices.Late September to late October is named the worst time to visit because tropical storm odds are high.Mexican Independence Day on September 16 brings fireworks and parades.
OctoberChecking fares…Late October often brings beautiful weather at low prices, with hurricane risk dropping after mid-month.The Cancun Jazz Festival is held in late October.September and October are the rainiest months, with possible road closures and some resorts closed for maintenance.Day of the Dead in Tulum (Hanal Pixán)
NovemberChecking fares…Dry weather returns in November; the first three weeks are among the year's best-value windows, with Thanksgiving week busy.Day of the Dead celebrations run November 1 and 2.Mid-October to November is a shoulder season with fewer crowds and brief afternoon showers.
Best timeDecemberChecking fares…December has dry days and cool nights, with Christmas and New Year prices peaking.Mid-December to early January is the peak for hotel occupancy and prices.Late November to early December is a lower-crowd option at the end of hurricane season.Weather: Cancún averages from Mexico's Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (1991 to 2020 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.
Live fares from your airport. Watch them and we alert you when they drop.
Festivals and seasons through the year
The Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Miami
Myrtle Beach
Prague
Bali
Maui
Montreal
Venice
Aruba
New Orleans
Nashville
Disney World
New York
Rome
San Diego
Phuket
Boston
Dubai
Seoul
Florida
Lisbon
Los Angeles
Chicago
Paris
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Edinburgh
Napa
Sydney
Hawaii
Scotland
Punta Cana
Savannah
Washington, DC
Mexico City
Zion National Park
Turks and Caicos
Puerto Vallarta
Honolulu
Banff
Yosemite
Tulum
The Bahamas
Sedona
Seattle
Santorini
Buenos Aires
London
Charleston
Rio de Janeiro
Palm Springs
Yellowstone
Amsterdam
Toronto
Key West
Orlando
Europe
Austin
Machu Picchu
Cabo San Lucas
Niagara Falls
Colorado
Oregon
Arizona
Acadia National Park
Galapagos
Lake Tahoe
Montana
Kauai
Okinawa
US Virgin Islands
Amalfi Coast
Santa Fe
Destin
Curacao
Utah
Joshua Tree
Patagonia
St. Thomas
Florida Keys
Smoky Mountains
Copenhagen
Death Valley
Mallorca
Madeira
Cape Town
Ibiza
Zanzibar
Lake Como
Madrid
New Mexico
Tennessee
Vermont
Wyoming
Bryce Canyon
Oahu
St. Martin
Hilton Head
Dolomites
Cape Cod
San Antonio
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dublin
Catalina Island
Athens
Asheville
Texas
South America
Shenandoah National Park
Phoenix
North Carolina
Medellín
Cairo
Budapest
Arches National Park
St. John
South Carolina
Reykjavik
Mykonos
Milan
Houston
Hanoi
Canary Islands
Big Island of Hawaii
Atlanta
The Caribbean
St. Barts
South Dakota
Rhode Island
New England
Nassau
Lima
Kyoto
Koh Samui
Colorado Springs
Chiang Mai
Stockholm
Porto
Montego Bay
Michigan
Melbourne
Louisiana
Kuala Lumpur
Kruger National Park
Jeju
Florence
Dallas
Zurich
Tampa
St. Kitts
Osaka
Munich
Moorea
Kailua-Kona
Everglades
Door County
Cusco
Calgary
Boracay
Bonaire
Swiss Alps
St. Croix
Seville
San Juan Islands
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Mazatlán
Manila
Kentucky
Isla Mujeres
Guam
French Riviera
Fort Lauderdale
Cinque Terre
Asia
Algarve
Virginia
Tenerife
Sapporo
Nairobi
Mumbai
The Hamptons
Grand Teton National Park
Finger Lakes
Charlotte
Bogotá
Auckland
Maine
Bora Bora
Olympic National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Big Bend National Park
Mackinac Island
Sint Maarten
Nantucket
Outer Banks
California
Big Sur
Crater Lake
Scottsdale
Nice
Mount Rainier
Cozumel
Badlands National Park
Salt Lake City
Denali
Philadelphia
Tucson
Provence
Guadalajara
Albuquerque
Upper Peninsula
Sonoma
Memphis
Idaho
Da Nang
Cotswolds
Arkansas
St. Louis
Capri
Glacier National Park
Barcelona
Vancouver
Denver
Istanbul
Riviera Maya
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Santiago, Chile
Naples, Italy
Central America
Minneapolis
Sarasota
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pittsburgh
Helsinki
Pensacola
Johannesburg
Brisbane
Málaga
Phu Quoc
Perth
Dubrovnik
Corpus Christi
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Torres del Paine
Czech Republic
Ho Chi Minh City
Anchorage
Boise
Louisville
Juneau
Quito
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Canyonlands National Park
Baja California
Blue Ridge Mountains
Fort Myers
Detroit
Kansas City, Missouri
Kathmandu
Reno
Cebu
Brussels
Guangzhou
Chattanooga
Antalya
Daytona Beach
Cairns
Hilo
Alabama
Connecticut
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Capitol Reef National Park