Acapulco in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Acapulco sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 17 mm of rain over about 2 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Acapulco's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Acapulco has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Acapulco's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 17 mm
- 2 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Acapulco in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Acapulco reaches about 27°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
How winter really feels in Acapulco
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Acapulco weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 26° | 8 | 0.9 | 11.1 | 8.4 |
| Feb | 27° / 25° | 3 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 8.7 |
| Mar | 27° / 26° | 4 | 0.4 | 11.9 | 8.7 |
| Apr | 27° / 26° | 0 | 0.1 | 12.4 | 8.6 |
| May | 28° / 27° | 23 | 3.8 | 12.8 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 29° / 27° | 220 | 16.2 | 13 | 4.7 |
| Jul | 29° / 27° | 181 | 16.3 | 12.9 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 29° / 27° | 266 | 19 | 12.6 | 4.2 |
| Sep | 28° / 26° | 318 | 22.6 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| Oct | 28° / 26° | 196 | 17.6 | 11.6 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 28° / 27° | 32 | 4.5 | 11.2 | 6.9 |
| Dec | 28° / 26° | 6 | 0.8 | 11 | 8.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Acapulco gets around 17 mm of rain over 2 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Acapulco
None of Acapulco's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Acapulco sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.
Acapulco's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Acapulco?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Acapulco for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Acapulco in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Acapulco sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
Sea temperature near Acapulco in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in March near 28°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Tropical |
| Feb | 28 | Warm |
| Mar | 28 | Warm |
| Apr | 28 | Warm |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 30 | Tropical |
| Aug | 30 | Tropical |
| Sep | 30 | Tropical |
| Oct | 30 | Tropical |
| Nov | 30 | Tropical |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index in Acapulco in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Acapulco peaks around March 20 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 7 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Air quality in Acapulco in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Acapulco is worst in May — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (February, 5 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 23 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 5 | Good |
| Mar | 8 | Good |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 23 | Moderate |
| Jun | 12 | Good |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Acapulco?
Acapulco sits at 16.8°N, 99.9°W, 16 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Atoyac de Álvarez, 68 km away.
Topography around Acapulco
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Acapulco.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Acapulco has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 357 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 934 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,534 m.
The land around Acapulco is covered by water (48%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 3 km, water (53%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (36%) within 80 km.
Mexico travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 / 127 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 54% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $13,889
- 2025
- Happiness
- 7.0 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 43%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 24.9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.8
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 440
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Acapulco (16.8494°, -99.9089°, elevation 16 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.