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The Yucatan peninsula is a karst peninsula located in the southeastern part of Mexico. Due to its karst nature, the terrain of the Yucatan is largely free of surface rivers. While there are numerous underground rivers, whose entrances are made accessible through karst caves called Cenotes. The Yucatan peninsula divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea and is located at a latitude between 22 ° N and 16 ° N, so it is located just south of the Tropic of Cancer. Its position close to the Tropic and surrounded by tropical warm waters means that the climate of the Yucatan is of the tropical hot-humid type. The Yucatan Peninsula is divided into the Mexican states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche and also includes portions of Belize and Guatemala.
A CLIMATE WITH HIGH AND CONSTANT TEMPERATURES
The climate of Yucatan is characterized by high humidity and high and constant temperatures. As far as rainfall is concerned, in the Yucatan climate there are two distinct seasons: a rainy season which roughly includes the months between May and October and a dry season which includes the months between November and April. However, sometimes the rainy season can anticipate or delay its arrival. In the Merida area the most intense rainfall occurs in the summer months, that is between June and October. In the Cancun area and in much of the state of Quintana Roo the rainy season extends from May to January, reaching the peak of rainfall in October.
At any time of the year occasional heavy thunderstorms called “nortes” can descend rapidly on the Yucatan peninsula bringing heavy rains and strong winds, however these phenomena tend to be short-lived, generally ending after about an hour. Average annual rainfall varies between 1,000 mm in Merida and 1,300 mm in Cancun. The humidity, due to the presence of the sea, is generally high at any time of the year, and reaches very high levels in the areas where the rain forest is located. The annual average humidity in Merida is 70%.
THE HURRICANE SEASON
Like much of the Caribbean, the Yucatan Peninsula is located within the hurricane belt. Hurricanes due to the conformation of the Yucatan – which is without mountain ranges – find no obstacles in their path and make the territory of the peninsula vulnerable to these great tropical storms coming from the east. The tropical hurricane season lasts in the Cancun area from May to December.
Throughout the Yucatan peninsula, temperatures are very high and remain constant throughout the year. The hottest months of the year are generally those between April and September. While the months between November and February are relatively cooler. The sea breezes that blow along the coast have a beneficial effect and contribute to making the hot days of the Yucatan less sultry. The maximum average temperatures reach the highest values in May in Merida (36.3 ° C) and in August in Cancun (34.8 ° C). The cooler months are December with 30.6 ° C in Merida and January with 28.3 ° C in Cancun. As regards the average minimum temperatures, the variations are also not very marked: in Merida it goes from 17.2 ° C in January to 21.7 ° C in May, while in Cancun it goes from 19.8 ° C in January at 24.8 ° C in July.
The sea water temperature in the Yucatan is very hot and remains constant above 25 ° C in the months when the water is colder, that is, in January and February. In August and September the water reaches its maximum annual temperature of 29 ° C.
WHEN TO GO TO YUCATAN
The best months for a trip to the Yucatan are those from December to February, months in which temperatures are slightly lower and the rains are scarcer. Even the months of March, April and May are not very rainy, but during these months the temperatures start to rise.
THE CLIMATE OF YUCATAN: CLIMATE TABLES
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| CANCUN (10 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
| January | 19,8 | 28,3 | 104 | 9,4 |
| February | 20,3 | 29,4 | 49 | 5,9 |
| March | 21,0 | 30,7 | 44 | 5,0 |
| April | 22,6 | 32,2 | 41 | 4,1 |
| May | 23,9 | 33,5 | 86 | 6,7 |
| June | 24,7 | 33,7 | 138 | 11,0 |
| July | 24,8 | 34,3 | 78 | 9,3 |
| August | 24,6 | 34,8 | 87 | 9,7 |
| September | 24,3 | 33,7 | 182 | 14,0 |
| October | 23,3 | 31,6 | 272 | 16,4 |
| November | 21,9 | 29,8 | 130 | 11,4 |
| December | 20,5 | 28,6 | 86 | 9,8 |
| YEAR | 22,6 | 31,7 | 1300 | 112,7 |
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| MERIDA (10 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
| January | 17,2 | 30,8 | 38 | 4,2 |
| February | 17,3 | 31,5 | 32 | 3,3 |
| March | 18,6 | 34,0 | 22 | 2,3 |
| April | 20,2 | 35,6 | 24 | 1,9 |
| May | 21,7 | 36,3 | 69 | 4,6 |
| June | 21,6 | 35,3 | 138 | 10,8 |
| July | 21,4 | 35,0 | 158 | 13,4 |
| August | 21,3 | 34,9 | 140 | 12,8 |
| September | 21,6 | 34,2 | 183 | 13,9 |
| October | 20,8 | 32,7 | 127 | 9,7 |
| November | 19,3 | 31,5 | 56 | 5,4 |
| December | 17,5 | 30,6 | 45 | 4,3 |
| YEAR | 19,9 | 33,5 | 1037 | 86,6 |
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YUCATAN SEA WATER TEMPERATURE
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| CANCUN | |
| Month | Sea Water Temperature °C |
| January | 25 |
| February | 25 |
| March | 26 |
| April | 26 |
| May | 27 |
| June | 27 |
| July | 28 |
| August | 29 |
| September | 29 |
| October | 28 |
| November | 27 |
| December | 26 |
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