Puerto Vallarta’s Climate: It’s a Tropical Loveland
“Come to the sunshine, beaches and sand... It’s a tropical loveland!” --ABBA
Straddling a skinny coastal strip edging the main mountain range running along Mexico’s west coast, Puerto Vallarta’s sub-tropical climate has been likened to that of Hawaii. Two distinct seasons divide the year: winter/dry and summer/rain.
They weren’t kidding about the sunshine either. Puerto Vallarta sees around 300 days of the stuff per year, mostly in that winter/dry season we mentioned – which we consider by far to be the best time of the year to visit. November through April luxuriate in sunny, mostly-blue-sky days of 78-85°F (25-29°C), cooling off to a sleep-perfect 55-60°F (13-16°C) at night. January and February tend to be the coldest, with “cold” being relative, naturally!
In May the city starts to heat up, and we’re not talking about the fiesta! From June to September, expect hot-and-downright-steamy averages of 88-93°F (31-34°C) during the day and a not-terribly-cool 73-78°F (23-26°C) at night, with high humidity. August and September suffer the most heat, but across all those months, expect quick, often-violent thunderstorms in the afternoons, sometimes leading to flash flooding of the streets. (This is normal in many places in Mexico and usually subsides quickly. I’ve seen many an airtight VW bug just plow through the temporary streams!)
And speaking of water, the Pacific waters that lap Puerto Vallarta’s sandy feet are decently warm all year round too.
We have to mention hurricanes too, obviously. Historically rare for Puerto Vallarta, they have hit on occasion -- only three major ones in the last four decades, to be exact. It is on the coast, after all. Because of this, though, this and other Mexican beach resort towns are quite hurricane-ready, and able to deal with storms and their aftermath. (Tourism bringing in 50% of P.V.’s economy, they have to.) Given the history, we figure we have another 10 hurricane-free years at least!
So what to pack for the weather? Think casual: comfortable walking shoes, sandals, shorts and short-sleeved shirts of your choice for pretty much everything, long light pants and maybe a sweater or light jacket for the evenings. And your favorite sunscreen!
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