San Cristóbal de las Casas climate
San Cristóbal de las Casas (Chiapas, Mexico) has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C58 °F, and about 1,372 mm54 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
San Cristóbal de las Casas climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1865 | 541 | 1253 | 210.8 |
| Feb | 2170 | 643 | 1356 | 180.7 |
| Mar | 2374 | 745 | 1560 | 190.7 |
| Apr | 2577 | 949 | 1763 | 371.5 |
| May | 2374 | 1151 | 1763 | 1405.5 |
| Jun | 2068 | 1151 | 1560 | 2459.6 |
| Jul | 2068 | 1050 | 1559 | 1666.5 |
| Aug | 2068 | 1050 | 1559 | 2188.6 |
| Sep | 1966 | 1051 | 1558 | 27011 |
| Oct | 1965 | 949 | 1457 | 1646.5 |
| Nov | 1864 | 744 | 1254 | 461.8 |
| Dec | 1864 | 642 | 1253 | 271.1 |
| Year | 2577 | 541 | 1458 | 1,37254 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 43% | 4.6 | 11:14 |
| Feb | 71% | 38% | 5.4 | 11:35 |
| Mar | 65% | 37% | 6.0 | 12:00 |
| Apr | 62% | 42% | 6.2 | 12:30 |
| May | 72% | 67% | 5.6 | 12:54 |
| Jun | 83% | 79% | 5.4 | 13:07 |
| Jul | 81% | 73% | 5.9 | 13:02 |
| Aug | 83% | 74% | 5.8 | 12:41 |
| Sep | 86% | 81% | 5.1 | 12:12 |
| Oct | 86% | 68% | 4.7 | 11:44 |
| Nov | 84% | 50% | 4.6 | 11:19 |
| Dec | 82% | 40% | 4.5 | 11:08 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of San Cristóbal de las Casas is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 25 °C77 °F and a low of 9 °C49 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 18 °C64 °F and lows 6 °C42 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.6 °C10 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,372 mm54 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 48% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: February and March. The wettest month is September (270 mm11 in), the driest is February (18 mm0.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in April to 86% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in September to 6 km/h (4 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in December to 13.1 hours in June.
Best time to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January–April: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 25 °C77 °F with 18 mm0.7 in to 37 mm1.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is September, which is very wet (270 mm11 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for San Cristóbal de las Casas
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 1965 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 949 to 11 °C51 °F, about 201 mm7.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 1864 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 541 to 9 °C49 °F, about 28 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How San Cristóbal de las Casas compares
Compared with Tuxtla, about 51 km to the west, San Cristóbal de las Casas is on average 9.4 °C16.9 °F cooler and receives 29% less precipitation (1,372 mm54 in vs 1,939 mm76 in). The difference is largest in July (10.3 °C18.5 °F cooler).
Of the 96 places in Mexico covered by World Climates, San Cristóbal de las Casas is the 91st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 16th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Mexico climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Quetzaltenango (Guatemala, Cwb), Ooty (India, Cwb) and Asela (Ethiopia, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Tuxtla 51 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,939 mm76 in
- Comitán 76 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,394 mm55 in
- Villahermosa 143 km · 26 °C79 °F · 2,172 mm85 in
- Tapachula 207 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,570 mm101 in
- Ciudad del Carmen 230 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,683 mm66 in
- Coatepeque 240 km · 25 °C77 °F · 2,100 mm83 in
- Quetzaltenango 241 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,857 mm73 in
- Coatzacoalcos 248 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,290 mm90 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in San Cristóbal de las Casas?
April is the warmest month in San Cristóbal de las Casas, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
What is the coldest month in San Cristóbal de las Casas?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 18 °C (64 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (42 °F).
When does it rain the most in San Cristóbal de las Casas?
September is the wettest month with about 270 mm (10.6 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 18 mm (0.7 in).
What is the best time to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January–April.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,467 m, while San Cristóbal de las Casas lies at about 2,183 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −4.7 °C8.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.