Puerto Vallarta weather in May

In May, Puerto Vallarta sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 16 mm of rain across 3 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 10th-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 64% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Puerto Vallarta's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Puerto Vallarta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
1st warmest
Overnight low
20°
7th coldest
Rainfall
16 mm
3 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
6:28 AM – 7:26 PM
Cloud cover
33%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Puerto Vallarta is municipal seat of Puerto Vallarta, State of Jalisco, Mexico.

Density
4,311/km²
people per km²
Founded
1851

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May day in Puerto Vallarta reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12919
22919
32919
42919
52919
62919
72919
82919
92919
102919
112919
122919
132920
142920
152920
162920
172920
182920
192920
202920
212920
222920
232920
242920
252920
262920
272920
282921
292921
302921
312921

Puerto Vallarta weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 16°34310.98.2
Feb26° / 16°24211.38.4
Mar27° / 17°100.911.98.5
Apr28° / 18°40.612.57.9
May29° / 20°163136.8
Jun28° / 22°20018.813.24.7
Jul28° / 22°28528.613.13.6
Aug28° / 22°34229.812.73.4
Sep27° / 22°33328.312.13.5
Oct27° / 21°1491911.55.2
Nov27° / 19°355.4117.6
Dec25° / 17°252.910.88.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47723
57723
67723
77723
87822
97822
107822
117921
128020
138020
148119
158119
168119
178119
188119
198119
208119
218119
228119
238020
248020
257921
267822
277723
287624
297426
307228
317129

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Puerto Vallarta gets around 16 mm of rain over 3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 10% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
33
43
53
64
74
85
95
105
115
126
136
147
157
168
178
189
1910
2011
2112
2213
2314
2415
2516
2618
2719
2821
2922
3024
3126

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 36% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1104139100
293940120
393840130
483740150
583541160
673441180
773341200
863241210
963141230
1063040240
1152940250
1252840270
1352740280
1442641290
1542441301
1642341321
1732241331
1832041351
1931940362
2021740392
2121540403
2221439423
2321238444
2411137465
251936486
261835507
271733518
2806315310
2905295511
3004265713
3104245715

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 7:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:367:20
212.86:357:21
312.86:357:21
412.86:347:22
512.86:337:22
612.86:337:22
712.86:327:23
812.96:327:23
912.96:317:24
1012.96:317:24
1112.96:307:24
1212.96:307:25
1312.96:297:25
1412.96:297:26
1513.06:287:26
1613.06:287:26
1713.06:277:27
1813.06:277:27
1913.06:277:28
2013.06:267:28
2113.06:267:29
2213.16:267:29
2313.16:257:29
2413.16:257:30
2513.16:257:30
2613.16:257:31
2713.16:257:31
2813.16:247:32
2913.16:247:32
3013.16:247:32
3113.16:247:33

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.3 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.3 kWh/m² in May across the year — May's 7.3 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.2Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
276.9Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.7Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Puerto Vallarta

In seasonPeak

In May, Puerto Vallarta sits inside its pacific hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Puerto Vallarta sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.

Puerto Vallarta's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific hurricane
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Puerto Vallarta?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
8.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Puerto Vallarta for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Puerto Vallarta in May

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

In May, Puerto Vallarta sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Puerto Vallarta in May

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in March near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb24Warm
Mar24Warm
Apr25Warm
May26Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec26Warm

UV index in Puerto Vallarta in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Puerto Vallarta peaks around May 11 at about 13 (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 highHighMay 11UV 13Dec 16UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7High
Feb10Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7High
Dec6High

Air quality in Puerto Vallarta in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Puerto Vallarta is worst in May — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.7× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodMay 1846 µg/m³Jan 156 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr19Moderate
May49Poor
Jun28Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug9Good
Sep9Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta sits at 20.6°N, 105.2°W, 21 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Ixtapa, 11 km away.

Topography around Puerto Vallarta

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Puerto Vallarta has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 635 m around an average of 84 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,878 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,708 m.

The land around Puerto Vallarta is covered by water (38%), trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and water (31%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
635 m
16 km
1,878 m
80 km
2,708 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Ixtapa 11 km · Mezcales 14 km · San José del Valle 16 km · Bucerías 19 km · Sayulita 35 km · Compostela 77 km · El Salto 82 km · Xalisco 98 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 Puerto Vallarta (20.617°, -105.2302°, elevation 21 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).