Tapachula in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Tapachula sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 77 mm of rain over about 18 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels humid.

Winter is Tapachula's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Tapachula's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
29°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
17°C
Rainfall
77 mm
18 wet days
Avg wind
5 km/h
Travel score
6.6
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Tapachula in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C.

A typical winter day in Tapachula reaches about 29°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

15°20°25°30°35°DecJanFeb

Tapachula 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
Jan29° / 17°184.511.26.9
Feb30° / 18°154.311.56.3
Mar30° / 19°429.211.95.3
Apr30° / 20°11916.812.34.3
May29° / 20°41427.812.73.3
Jun28° / 20°54829.112.93.0
Jul28° / 19°50630.712.82.9
Aug28° / 20°57130.612.53.0
Sep28° / 20°69729.512.13.2
Oct28° / 20°61729.911.73.4
Nov28° / 18°24521.411.34.8
Dec28° / 17°449.411.16.5

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Tapachula gets around 77 mm of rain over 18 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels humid — 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 5 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 42 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 5.4 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Tapachula

In seasonPeak

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

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

Tapachula's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Tapachula?

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.

6.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Tapachula in Winter

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

In winter, Tapachula sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tapachula in Winter

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

The sea at the nearest coast (about 34 km away) is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in February near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Tapachula in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tapachula peaks around June 17 at about 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highJun 17UV 12Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Tapachula in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Tapachula is worst in May — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1039 µg/m³Feb 827 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar34Moderate
Apr38Poor
May40Poor
Jun29Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Tapachula?

Tapachula sits at 14.9°N, 92.3°W, 165 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Cacahoatán, 14 km away.

Topography around Tapachula

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tapachula has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 m around an average of 165 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 620 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,178 m.

The land around Tapachula is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) and trees (35%) within 3 km, trees (64%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
154 m
16 km
620 m
80 km
4,178 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
Winter weather nearby: Cacahoatán 14 km · Malacatán 22 km · Huixtla 34 km · Coatepeque 48 km · San Marcos 50 km · Motozintla 51 km · San Pedro Sacatepéquez 54 km · Comitancillo 58 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 Tapachula (14.9054°, -92.2589°, elevation 165 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.