Cancun weather in August

In August, Cancun sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 88 mm of rain across 14.6 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in August, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of August to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Cancun's 9th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cancun's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
88 mm
14.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:30 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
51%
9th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
6.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Cancun is municipal seat of Juárez, State of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Founded
1970

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical August day in Cancun reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12927
22927
32927
42927
52927
62927
72927
82927
92927
102927
112927
122927
132927
142927
152927
162927
172927
182927
192927
202927
212927
222927
232927
242927
252927
262927
272927
282927
292927
302927
312927

How August really feels in Cancun

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Cancun weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 1st-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 24°6710.710.97.0
Feb25° / 24°336.611.37.7
Mar26° / 24°25511.98.0
Apr26° / 25°264.912.57.8
May27° / 26°759.5136.8
Jun28° / 27°13315.413.35.5
Jul28° / 27°6511.113.25.8
Aug29° / 27°8814.612.75.3
Sep28° / 27°16220.312.14.4
Oct28° / 26°19019.211.55.2
Nov27° / 25°9011.8116.5
Dec26° / 24°6111.410.76.8

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26337
36238
46139
56139
66040
76040
86040
96040
106040
116040
126040
136139
146139
156238
166238
176238
186238
196238
206139
216139
226040
235941
245842
255743
265743
275644
285644
295545
305545
315446

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Cancun gets around 88 mm of rain over 14.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 47% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
343
443
544
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1844
1944
2045
2146
2247
2349
2450
2552
2653
2755
2856
2957
3058
3158

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the miserable band about 93% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1892
2892
3892
4892
5892
6892
7892
8892
9793
10793
11793
12694
13694
14694
15694
16595
17595
18595
19595
20694
21694
22694
23793
24793
25892
26892
27991
28991
291090
301090
311189

Wind in August

Winds average 18 km/h in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of August to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:24 AM to 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:246:23
213.05:256:22
312.95:256:22
412.95:256:21
512.95:266:21
612.95:266:20
712.95:266:19
812.95:276:19
912.95:276:18
1012.85:276:18
1112.85:286:17
1212.85:286:16
1312.85:296:16
1412.85:296:15
1512.75:296:14
1612.75:306:13
1712.75:306:13
1812.75:306:12
1912.75:316:11
2012.75:316:10
2112.65:316:10
2212.65:316:09
2312.65:326:08
2412.65:326:07
2512.65:326:06
2612.55:336:05
2712.55:336:04
2812.55:336:04
2912.55:336:03
3012.55:346:02
3112.45:346:01

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 6.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 6.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Cancun

In seasonPeak

In August, Cancun sits inside its atlantic hurricane and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Cancun sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Cancun's rainy season runs June–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Cancun?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Cancun for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cancun in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Cancun sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cancun in August

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 24 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Cancun in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cancun peaks around July 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 6 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 19UV 12Dec 16UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7High
Feb9Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7High
Dec6High

Air quality in Cancun in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Cancun is worst in June — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2024 µg/m³Nov 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cancun?

Cancun sits at 21.2°N, 86.8°W, 11 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Isla Mujeres, 14 km away.

Chichen ItzaFelipe Carrillo Puerto

Topography around Cancun

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cancun.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cancun has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m.

The land around Cancun is covered by artificial surfaces (87%) within 3 km, water (37%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
30 m
80 km
31 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
August weather nearby: Isla Mujeres 14 km · Playa del Carmen 65 km · Cozumel 76 km · Tulum 125 km · Tizimín 135 km · Valladolid 151 km · Chichen Itza 187 km · Felipe Carrillo Puerto 217 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
Catholic 78%no religion 11%other Evangelical Churches 8%Jehovah Witness 1%

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 Cancun (21.1743°, -86.8466°, elevation 11 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).