San Cristóbal de las Casas weather in May

In May, San Cristóbal de las Casas sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 223 mm of rain across 19.2 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is San Cristóbal de las Casas's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Cristóbal de las Casas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
223 mm
19.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:43 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
66%
7th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

San Cristóbal de las Casas is municipal seat of San Cristóbal, State of Chiapas, Mexico.

Founded
1528

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical May day in San Cristóbal de las Casas reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12816
22816
32816
42816
52816
62816
72816
82816
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152716
162716
172716
182716
192716
202716
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

San Cristóbal de las Casas weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°122.611.18.6
Feb26° / 13°71.711.48.5
Mar27° / 14°183.711.97.8
Apr28° / 15°508.612.46.7
May27° / 16°22319.212.85.1
Jun25° / 16°48625.7134.1
Jul25° / 16°30021.612.94.8
Aug25° / 16°36323.212.64.6
Sep25° / 16°42926.312.14.1
Oct24° / 15°23018.111.65.5
Nov24° / 14°587.911.27.5
Dec24° / 13°182.6118.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35842
45743
55545
65347
75248
85050
94852
104654
114456
124357
134258
144159
154060
163961
173961
183862
193664
203664
213565
223466
233268
243268
253169
263070
272971
282773
292575
302476
312278

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

San Cristóbal de las Casas gets around 223 mm of rain over 19.2 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 62% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
243
345
447
549
651
753
855
956
1058
1160
1261
1362
1464
1565
1665
1766
1866
1967
2067
2167
2268
2368
2469
2570
2671
2772
2873
2975
3076
3177

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 54% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11949320
21948330
31847350
41746370
51645390
61544401
71443421
81441441
91340461
101239472
111238482
121137502
131036522
141035523
15935533
16834553
17734563
18733573
19633583
20533593
21532603
22432613
23431623
24430633
25329662
26328672
27227692
28226702
29225703
30123733
31122743

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:506:26
212.65:496:26
312.65:496:26
412.65:486:26
512.65:486:27
612.75:476:27
712.75:476:27
812.75:466:28
912.75:466:28
1012.75:466:28
1112.75:456:29
1212.75:456:29
1312.75:446:29
1412.85:446:30
1512.85:446:30
1612.85:436:30
1712.85:436:31
1812.85:436:31
1912.85:436:31
2012.85:426:32
2112.85:426:32
2212.85:426:32
2312.95:426:33
2412.95:416:33
2512.95:416:33
2612.95:416:34
2712.95:416:34
2812.95:416:34
2912.95:416:35
3012.95:416:35
3112.95:406:35

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.65 kWh/m² in April across the year — May's 6.17 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for San Cristóbal de las Casas

In seasonPeak

In May, San Cristóbal de las Casas sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

San Cristóbal de las Casas's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Cristóbal de las Casas in May

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

In May, San Cristóbal de las Casas sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in San Cristóbal de las Casas in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San Cristóbal de las Casas peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 12UV 14Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in San Cristóbal de las Casas 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 San Cristóbal de las Casas is worst in April — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateApr 2337 µg/m³Dec 1612 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr38Poor
May37Poor
Jun21Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Cristóbal de las Casas?

San Cristóbal de las Casas sits at 16.7°N, 92.6°W, 2,183 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Teopisca, 27 km away.

Topography around San Cristóbal de las Casas

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Cristóbal de las Casas has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 392 m around an average of 2,158 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,344 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,842 m.

The land around San Cristóbal de las Casas is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
392 m
16 km
2,344 m
80 km
2,842 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Teopisca 27 km · Chiapas 40 km · Venustiano Carranza 44 km · Las Rosas 50 km · Suchiapa 50 km · Tuxtla 51 km · Yajalón 59 km · Ocosingo 61 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 San Cristóbal de las Casas (16.7301°, -92.6382°, elevation 2,183 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. 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).