At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season The quieter, cheaper half of the year with two exceptions that price like peak: the week of El Grito, Wednesday 15 September 2027, when the Centro fills and the Zócalo closes, and Grand Prix weekend, 29 to 31 October. June to early September is the value window.
Mexico City in the Wet Season — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Mexico City in Wet Season offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for food lovers & photographers. Expect temperatures of 13–25°C, around 10–22 days of rain, and medium crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around $40–140 for mid-range travellers. Book three to four weeks ahead for the best mid-range rates and the widest hotel choice.
Contents16 sections
- At a Glance
- Weather in Mexico City in Wet Season
- Which Wet-Season Month to Choose
- What to Do in Mexico City in Wet Season
- Getting Around
- Budget & Costs
- Food & Dining
- Nightlife
- Shopping
- Culture & Etiquette
- Essential Local Phrases
- Packing List
- Backup Plans (The Afternoon Storm)
- Safety & Health
- What's New for the 2027 Wet Season
- About This Guide
#At a Glance
From May to October Mexico City gets almost all of its year's rain, about 771 mm of the roughly 850 that fall, and it is still the better half of the year for many trips. The rain keeps a timetable: mornings are usually clear, a storm builds in the afternoon, and by evening it has passed. The valley turns green, the air is at its cleanest by July, it is cooler than the hot, hazy spring, and rooms are cheaper.
Two dates price like peak season: El Grito, the independence night of Wednesday 15 September 2027, and the Mexico City Grand Prix, 29 to 31 October 2027.
#Weather in Mexico City in Wet Season
Mexico City in Wet Season averages 13–25°C (55–77°F), ranging 12–27°C across the season, with around 10–22 days of rain, and crowds are medium.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Wet days | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | About 27°C / 81°F | About 14°C / 57°F | About 11 | 6:59pm on the 1st |
| June | About 26°C / 79°F | About 14°C / 57°F | About 16 | 7:17pm at the solstice |
| July | About 25°C / 77°F | About 13°C / 55°F | About 22 | 7:13pm on the 31st |
| August | About 25°C / 77°F | About 13°C / 55°F | About 21 | 6:53pm on the 31st |
| September | About 24°C / 75°F | About 13°C / 55°F | About 18 | 6:26pm on the 30th |
| October | About 23°C / 73°F | About 12°C / 54°F | About 10 | 6:03pm on the 31st |
Figures are Servicio Meteorológico Nacional 1991–2020 normals for Tacubaya; sunset times are calculated for the Centro, on central Mexico's year-round standard time.
What that actually means for your trip:
- The rain has a timetable. Most storms arrive between about three and six in the afternoon and are over within an hour or two; mornings are usually dry.
- July and August are the wettest, with rain on most days; May and October have the fewest wet days of the season.
- It is not the hot season. Afternoons at 23 to 27°C are cooler than April's, and nights stay around 13°C.
- The air clears. The ozone season of spring breaks in June, and rain washes the valley, so July is usually the cleanest month of the year.
Is the wet season a good time to visit Mexico City? Yes, for most trips, as long as you plan mornings outdoors and afternoons indoors. The city is green, the air is clean, and rooms are cheaper than in the dry season. Book early only for the Grito in mid-September and the Grand Prix at the end of October.
#Which Wet-Season Month to Choose
May is the hinge: the hottest days are past, the first storms arrive, and the air is still hazy from the spring ozone season.
June turns the city green and is good value; the city's big Pride march, usually on the last Saturday of the month, fills Reforma and the Centro.
July and August are the heart of the rains, the cheapest months and the cleanest air of the year.
Late August brings the start of chiles en nogada season, the patriotic dish of September.
September is the patriotic month: the president gives El Grito from the National Palace balcony late on Wednesday 15 September 2027, and the military parade follows on Thursday 16 September, a national holiday; see our guide to El Grito.
The 19 September anniversary of the 1985 and 2017 earthquakes, a Sunday in 2027, is solemn, and a national earthquake drill has usually been held around it.
October is the end of the rains: green, increasingly dry, with the alebrijes parade in mid-month and the Grand Prix on 29 to 31 October 2027, the weekend before Día de Muertos.
#What to Do in Mexico City in Wet Season
Solo Travellers
Go to Teotihuacán, an hour north-east, on a clear morning, and be back before the afternoon storm.
Spend wet afternoons at the Museo Nacional de Antropología, whose two floors of galleries can take several, and the evenings in the cantinas of the Centro. On a washed morning, look south-east from a rooftop: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl are clearer now than in the hazy dry season.
Couples
Take a trajinera on the canals of Xochimilco in the morning, then lunch in Coyoacán and the Blue House, the Museo Frida Kahlo, booked ahead, in the afternoon while it rains.
A dinner in Roma or Condesa after the storm, on a terrace washed clean, is the best evening of the season.
Families
Chapultepec's lakes, castle and the Papalote children's museum suit a summer day, with the museum for the afternoon. School holidays from July to August bring local families out, so book weekend tickets.
Six Flags México, in the south of the city, is open through the summer; go in the morning and check the forecast.
Groups
September is the month for a group trip: the Grito night, the decorations, and chiles en nogada on every menu. Outside it, the value of the season means a group can stay well in Roma or Condesa; book a mezcal tasting or a cantina crawl for the wet evenings.
#Getting Around
Arriving at AICM, the main airport, the official taxi booths in the arrivals hall sell fixed-price tickets; a ride-hailing app is the alternative.
The Metro and Metrobús are fast and cheap, but heavy rain can flood low-lying stations and underpasses, and the traffic in the hour after a storm is the worst of the day. Ride-hailing prices surge as soon as the rain starts. The practical rule is to be where you want to spend the evening before the storm, rather than crossing the city in it.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | US$40–70 | Hostel or guesthouse, markets and fondas, the Metro |
| Mid-range | US$100–160 | Roma or Condesa hotel, restaurant meals, museum tickets |
| Luxury | US$280+ | Polanco's top hotels and tasting menus |
Where the money actually goes:
- June to early September is the cheapest stretch of the year.
- The Grito week and Grand Prix weekend price like the dry-season peak.
- Taxes are added: lodging tax and VAT come on top of most quoted room rates.
- Ride-hailing surges in the rain, so a rainy evening across town costs more.
The wet season is Mexico City at its greenest and most affordable; plan around the afternoon storm and it costs you very little.
#Food & Dining
The wet season is the season of fresh corn: elotes and esquites, corn on the cob and in a cup with lime, chilli and mayonnaise, are everywhere, and huitlacoche, the black corn fungus treated here as a delicacy, is in season and worth ordering in a quesadilla.
From August, chiles en nogada, stuffed poblano chillies in walnut sauce with pomegranate, appear on menus for the patriotic month.
A storm is the city's argument for a long lunch, and the comida corrida, the fonda's set lunch from about two, is the best value in town.
#Nightlife
The season changes how you get to a night out, not the night itself: Roma and Condesa remain the walkable core, the Centro has the old cantinas and Polanco the dressed-up end. Arrive before the rain, and expect to wait out a downpour on the way home; most bars are comfortable places to do it. The Grito night is the biggest party of the year.
#Shopping
The covered markets are the wet-afternoon answer: La Ciudadela for crafts from across the country, Mercado de Jamaica for flowers, Mercado de San Juan for food, and the Sunday antiques of La Lagunilla, which thin out when it rains. In September the streets fill with flags, rattles and patriotic gear for the Grito.
#Culture & Etiquette
- Greet before you ask, with "buenos días" or "buenas tardes".
- Join in at the Grito. The celebration is participatory, and shouting "¡Viva México!" with everyone else is welcomed.
- Respect 19 September. It is a day of remembrance for the earthquake dead.
- Leave 10 to 15% at a restaurant table; service is rarely on the bill.
- Ask for "con queso" if you want cheese in a quesadilla.
#Essential Local Phrases
| Spanish | Meaning | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Va a llover? | Is it going to rain? | Every afternoon |
| Aguacero | A downpour | When the storm breaks |
| ¡Viva México! | Long live Mexico! | The night of 15 September |
| Con queso, por favor | With cheese, please | Ordering a quesadilla |
| La cuenta, por favor | The bill, please | It will not come unless you ask |
| Ahorita | Right now, or later, or never | Everywhere |
#Packing List
- A compact umbrella and a waterproof pouch for your phone
- Quick-drying clothes, not jeans
- Shoes that cope with puddles and uneven pavement
- A light layer for evenings, which cool to about 13°C
- Sunscreen, as clear mornings at altitude burn
- Something smarter for Polanco or a Grito party
#Backup Plans (The Afternoon Storm)
If the storm arrives early: the Antropología absorbs any afternoon; the Museo Nacional de Arte, the Franz Mayer and the Palacio de Bellas Artes are close together in the Centro.
If Teotihuacán is rained off: it is close enough to try again another morning.
If the streets flood: stay put, have another coffee or another course, and wait for the water to drain; it usually does within the hour.
#Safety & Health
The season's hazards are flooding and lightning. Avoid underpasses and low streets in a heavy storm, never wade through moving water, and shelter indoors during lightning, including at Teotihuacán and Xochimilco. Altitude still matters: take a slow first day and drink plenty of water. The air is at its best from July, a good reason for anyone with asthma to prefer these months to the spring. Use ride-hailing at night, keep your phone in a pocket on busy trains, and call 911 in an emergency.
#What's New for the 2027 Wet Season
- El Grito falls on Wednesday 15 September 2027, with the parade on Thursday the 16th
- Grand Prix weekend, 29 to 31 October 2027, closes the season
- 19 September falls on a Sunday in 2027; check whether and when the national drill is held
- Central Mexico keeps standard time all year, so sunsets come before half past seven even in June
- Pride, the Marcha del Orgullo, is usually on the last Saturday of June; the 2027 date comes from the organisers
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), first written in September 2026 and rewritten in October 2026 for the 2027 wet season. Climate figures are Servicio Meteorológico Nacional 1991–2020 normals for Tacubaya. Facts verified against:
- Servicio Meteorológico Nacional for the normals
- SEDEMA air quality for the ozone season
- Formula 1 for the Grand Prix dates
- Gobierno de México for the Independence Day holiday
- CENAPRED for earthquake preparedness
For each month in detail, see Mexico City in July and Mexico City in September; for the other half of the year, Mexico City's dry season.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does it rain all day in Mexico City in the wet season?
No. Mornings are usually clear, the storm builds between about three and six in the afternoon, and it is often over within an hour or two. July and August each have more than twenty wet days, but a trip built around dry mornings and indoor afternoons loses very little.
Is the wet season a good time to visit Mexico City?
For most trips, yes. The valley is green, afternoons are 23 to 27°C, cooler than April, the air is cleanest from July, and rooms are cheaper than in the dry season. Only the Grito week in mid-September and Grand Prix weekend, 29 to 31 October 2027, price like peak season.
When is the Grito de Independencia in 2027?
Late on the night of Wednesday 15 September 2027, when the president gives the cry from the National Palace balcony; the military parade follows on the morning of Thursday 16 September, a national holiday. The Zócalo is fenced off and the Centro closed to traffic for days around it.
Is Mexico City’s air quality better in the rainy season?
Yes. Rain washes particulates out of the valley, and the ozone season of spring breaks in June, so July is usually the cleanest month of the year. If you have asthma or a heart or lung condition, the rains are the better half of the year, and April and May are the months to avoid.
How much does it cost to visit Mexico City in Wet Season?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of $40–140, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Flexible dates can save up to 20% compared with peak-week rates.