Mazatlan lies just below the Tropic of Cancer, virtually parallel with Hawaii, and the prevailing climate in this northwestern corner of the state of Sinaloa is considered subtropical. Unlike Hawaii, however, Mazatlan does not receive consistent year-round rain. In fact, 7 months out the year Mazatlan is a very dry place, averaging less than one-half an inch of rain during each of its dry months.

But when it rains in Mazatlan, it pours. During this time it also gets very hot, because it’s summer. Then, temperatures in Mazatlan hover at around 83 degrees, with slight variation. This hot, rainy season lasts from July through October. July sees the most intense storms, and on average draws about 8 inches of rain; August gets slightly less on average, about 7 inches. Through October, the rainfall begins to taper off. Come November, Mazatlan is dry as a bone.

Suffice it to say, the most popular time for tourism is during the dry months, when the air and water temperatures hover around 70 degrees and the chance of rain spoiling an afternoon at the beach is just about nil. Occurring in February through April, Spring Break and Mardi Gras (Mazatlan has the worlds third largest Mardi Gras celebration) are wildly popular in Mazatlan, and draw the year’s biggest and rowdiest crowds.

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