Cancun weather in January

In January, Cancun sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 67 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Cancun's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cancun's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
67 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:31 AM – 5:22 PM
Cloud cover
48%
8th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Cancun reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12524
22524
32524
42524
52524
62524
72524
82524
92524
102524
112524
122523
132523
142523
152523
162523
172523
182523
192523
202523
212523
222523
232523
242523
252524
262524
272524
282524
292524
302524
312524

How January really feels in Cancun

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Cancun weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
46931
56931
66931
76832
86733
96733
106733
116733
126733
136733
146733
156634
166634
176535
186535
196535
206535
216535
226634
236634
246634
256634
266733
276733
286931
296931
307030
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Cancun gets around 67 mm of rain over 10.7 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
437
537
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1337
1437
1536
1636
1735
1835
1934
2033
2132
2232
2331
2430
2530
2630
2729
2829
2929
3029
3128

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 66% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12111633371
22111633370
33111633380
43111632380
53111632380
63111632370
73111632370
83121732360
93121732360
103121832350
113121832340
123131932330
133131932330
143132032320
153132032320
163132032310
172142033310
182142033300
192142133300
202152133300
212152133290
222152133290
232152033300
242152034300
252152034300
262141934310
272141934320
282141834320
292131834330
302131834330
312131834340

Wind in January

Winds average 24 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:295:13
210.76:295:13
310.76:295:14
410.76:295:14
510.86:305:15
610.86:305:16
710.86:305:16
810.86:305:17
910.86:315:17
1010.86:315:18
1110.86:315:19
1210.86:315:19
1310.86:315:20
1410.86:315:21
1510.86:315:21
1610.86:315:22
1710.96:315:23
1810.96:315:23
1910.96:315:24
2010.96:315:25
2110.96:315:25
2210.96:315:26
2310.96:315:27
2410.96:315:27
2510.96:315:28
2611.06:315:28
2711.06:315:29
2811.06:315:30
2911.06:305:30
3011.06:305:31
3111.06:305:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.8 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 — January's 3.8 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
244.0Moderate
254.0Moderate
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Cancun

In seasonPeak

None of Cancun's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 January a good time to visit Cancun?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Cancun for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cancun in January

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

In January, Cancun sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 24°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Cancun in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January 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
January 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).