Unlike most parts of the world, where residents eagerly await the daily or weekly weather forecast, Vallarta’s weather can be forecast with some confidence annually with over 300 days of sunshine.
There are two basic seasons in Puerto Vallarta, the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season starts in late June and usually lasts until mid-October. The rain clouds usually build up high in the mountains by mid to late afternoon, leaving the early to late evenings with tropical downpours followed by steady showers during the night. Throughout the rainy season, you can expect the sun to shine gloriously most mornings and as the temperature rises, so does the humidity.
During the cooler months of the dry season; November through May, rain is very rare. Most days are completely sunny with the relative humidity quite low and comfortable for a tropical climate.
The temperature during the "winter" months, from January through March, can drop as low to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 Celsius, but is generally closer to 65 to 68.
For more than 50 years, people claimed with some confidence that Puerto Vallarta could not be hit by a hurricane due to its protective geography, with the Sierra Madres reaching out into the Pacific to the north and south. However, Puerto Vallarta did experience a near miss with Hurricane Kenna, on October 25th, 2002. While no part of Kenna actually entered any of Banderas Bay, the damage done by its storm surge and pounding waves, as it passed off-shore, eroded many residents’ confidence along with large sections of the world-famous Maelcon.
More Information:
Packing for the Seasons
What to Pack |
