Zacatecas climate
Zacatecas (Zacatecas, Mexico) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C58 °F, and about 439 mm17 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Zacatecas climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1762 | 133 | 948 | 120.5 |
| Feb | 1967 | 236 | 1151 | 160.6 |
| Mar | 2272 | 439 | 1356 | 100.4 |
| Apr | 2679 | 745 | 1762 | 40.2 |
| May | 2882 | 1051 | 1966 | 190.8 |
| Jun | 2680 | 1253 | 1967 | 642.5 |
| Jul | 2576 | 1151 | 1864 | 923.6 |
| Aug | 2576 | 1051 | 1763 | 793.1 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1049 | 1661 | 913.6 |
| Oct | 2271 | 745 | 1458 | 311.2 |
| Nov | 1966 | 338 | 1152 | 120.5 |
| Dec | 1763 | 134 | 949 | 80.3 |
| Year | 2882 | 133 | 1458 | 43917 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54% | 39% | 4.7 | 10:53 |
| Feb | 47% | 33% | 5.7 | 11:22 |
| Mar | 39% | 32% | 6.8 | 11:58 |
| Apr | 33% | 35% | 7.4 | 12:39 |
| May | 38% | 37% | 7.4 | 13:13 |
| Jun | 52% | 53% | 6.8 | 13:31 |
| Jul | 61% | 60% | 6.4 | 13:24 |
| Aug | 62% | 55% | 6.4 | 12:55 |
| Sep | 69% | 60% | 5.6 | 12:15 |
| Oct | 63% | 37% | 5.5 | 11:35 |
| Nov | 61% | 30% | 5.0 | 11:01 |
| Dec | 56% | 37% | 4.5 | 10:45 |
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 Zacatecas is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 26 °C80 °F and a low of 12 °C53 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 17 °C62 °F and lows 1 °C33 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 10.6 °C19 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 439 mm17 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–May. The wettest month is July (92 mm3.6 in), the driest is April (4 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 33% in April to 69% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 30%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in October to 12 km/h (7 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 10.7 hours in December to 13.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Zacatecas
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–October: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 4 mm0.2 in to 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
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 Zacatecas
- Wetter months (June–September) — highs 2373 to 26 °C80 °F, lows 1049 to 12 °C53 °F, about 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Drier months (October–May) — highs 1762 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 133 to 10 °C51 °F, about 14 mm0.6 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 Zacatecas compares
Compared with Guadalupe, about 7 km to the east, Zacatecas is on average 1.3 °C2.3 °F cooler and receives 7% less precipitation (439 mm17 in vs 474 mm19 in). The difference is largest in December (1.7 °C3 °F cooler).
Of the 96 places in Mexico covered by World Climates, Zacatecas is the 90th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 76th 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Xiangcheng (China, Cwb), Sucre (Bolivia, Cwb) and Dali (China, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Guadalupe 7 km · 16 °C60 °F · 474 mm19 in
- Fresnillo 54 km · 16 °C61 °F · 499 mm20 in
- Aguascalientes 103 km · 18 °C65 °F · 546 mm22 in
- San Luis Potosí 179 km · 18 °C64 °F · 500 mm20 in
- León de los Aldama 205 km · 19 °C66 °F · 683 mm27 in
- Guadalajara 246 km · 21 °C69 °F · 804 mm32 in
- Victoria de Durango 254 km · 18 °C64 °F · 550 mm22 in
- Irapuato 265 km · 19 °C67 °F · 722 mm28 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Zacatecas?
June is the warmest month in Zacatecas, with an average high of 26 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).
What is the coldest month in Zacatecas?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 17 °C (62 °F) and an average low of 1 °C (33 °F).
When does it rain the most in Zacatecas?
July is the wettest month with about 92 mm (3.6 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 4 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Zacatecas?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–October.
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 2,140 m, while Zacatecas lies at about 2,480 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −2.2 °C4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.