Climate
Puerto Vallarta's climate is typical Tropical wet and dry (Köppen climate classification Aw), with a marked dry season in the winter. The high temperature and variations in humidity can make July through September nearly intolerable. It has pronounced wet and dry seasonal variation, with sudden monsoon-like rains from July through September, normally for a few hours in the evenings.
The average daily high temperature is 86 °F (30 °C); average daily low temperature is 70 °F (21 °C); average daily humidity is 75%. The rainy season extends from mid June through mid October, with most of the rain between July and September. August is the city's wettest month, with an average of 14 days with significant precipitation. Even during the rainy season precipitation tends to be concentrated in large rainstorms. Occasional tropical storms will bring thunderstorms to the city in November, though the month is typically dry. February, March and April are the months with the least cloud cover.
Prevailing winds are from the southwest, and most weather systems approaching Puerto Vallarta are consequently weakened as they pass over Cabo Corriente. Thus even during the rainy season Puerto Vallarta's weather tends to be mild compared to other areas along the Mexican Pacific coast.
Hurricanes seldom strike Puerto Vallarta. In 2002, Hurricane Kenna, a category 5 hurricane, made landfall about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Puerto Vallarta, and the city suffered some damage from the resulting storm surge. In 1971, Hurricane Lily, a category 1 hurricane, caused serious flooding on the Isla Cuale, prompting the city to relocate all of its residents to the new Colonia Palo Seco.
| Climate data for Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.0 (95.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
43.5 (110.3) |
45.0 (113.0) |
45.0 (113.0) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.0 (100.4) |
39.0 (102.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
45.0 (113.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.8 (83.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.2 (84.6) |
29.9 (85.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.7 (92.7) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.3 (90.1) |
29.9 (85.8) |
31.38 (88.49) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
25.6 (78.1) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.4 (83.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.9 (82.2) |
26.0 (78.8) |
24.0 (75.2) |
25.68 (78.22) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.9 (62.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.7 (67.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
19.90 (67.82) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11 (52) |
8 (46) |
12 (54) |
11 (52) |
11 (52) |
17 (63) |
21 (70) |
21 (70) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
13 (55) |
7 (45) |
7 (45) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 33.8 (1.331) |
5.3 (0.209) |
2.0 (0.079) |
1.5 (0.059) |
15.4 (0.606) |
187.6 (7.386) |
328.1 (12.917) |
312.4 (12.299) |
370.0 (14.567) |
93.8 (3.693) |
19.8 (0.78) |
22.5 (0.886) |
1,392.2 (54.811) |
| % humidity | 67 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 68 | 67 | 68 | 68 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 10.8 | 16.4 | 15.2 | 15.6 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 71.1 |
| Source #1: World Meteorological Organization. | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
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