San José del Cabo in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), San José del Cabo sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 26 mm of rain over about 3 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 24°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Winter is San José del Cabo's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see San José del Cabo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
18°C
Rainfall
26 mm
3 wet days
Avg wind
8 km/h
Travel score
8.7
2nd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in San José del Cabo in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 24°C.

A typical winter day in San José del Cabo reaches about 24°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

10°15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in San José del Cabo

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.

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

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

San José del Cabo 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°81.310.78.6
Feb23° / 17°80.811.28.8
Mar24° / 18°10.211.89.1
Apr25° / 19°10.112.58.9
May26° / 21°00.213.18.9
Jun28° / 23°60.613.48.6
Jul29° / 25°213.713.36.5
Aug30° / 26°739.212.85.3
Sep29° / 26°14010.612.15.4
Oct29° / 24°253.211.56.9
Nov27° / 21°181.810.98.3
Dec24° / 19°91.110.68.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

San José del Cabo gets around 26 mm of rain over 3 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 8 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.8 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for San José del Cabo

In seasonPeak

None of San José del Cabo's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

San José del Cabo sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.

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

Is winter a good time to visit San José del Cabo?

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.

8.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit San José del Cabo for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for San José del Cabo in Winter

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

In winter, San José del Cabo sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 18°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near San José del Cabo in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 23°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 September at about 29°C and coldest in March near 22°C.

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

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May24Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov27Warm
Dec25Warm

UV index in San José del Cabo in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San José del Cabo peaks around May 15 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighMay 15UV 12Dec 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov7High
Dec6High
Location & terrain

Where is San José del Cabo?

San José del Cabo sits at 23.1°N, 109.7°W, 34 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Colonia del Sol, 28 km away.

NavolatoLicenciado Benito JuárezCosta RicaCiudad Constitución

Topography around San José del Cabo

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San José del Cabo.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San José del Cabo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,008 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,062 m.

The land around San José del Cabo is covered by shrubs (32%), artificial surfaces (24%) and water (22%) within 3 km, shrubs (49%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and water (58%) and shrubs (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
223 m
16 km
1,008 m
80 km
2,062 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Colonia del Sol 28 km · Cabo San Lucas 28 km · Todos Santos 69 km · La Paz 136 km · Navolato 279 km · Licenciado Benito Juárez 283 km · Costa Rica 291 km · Ciudad Constitución 297 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 José del Cabo (23.0541°, -109.7037°, elevation 34 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.