Mexico's Climate and Weather

Located in a subtropical and temperate region of North America, within Mexico’s territory there is a great variety of climates, from tropical to desert, varying according to geographic and topographic location. This climate diversity provides ecosystems that sustain a great amount of flora and fauna, including desert, tropical, subtropical, temperate and mountainous.

Mexico is clearly divided into two areas by the tropic of Cancer. To the north of this parallel is the template area and to the south is the tropical zone. The driest month throughout the country is February, raining only in Quintana Roo, Yucatan and the northeast of Baja California.

On the south of the central high plateau, as in Mexico City, the climate is humid with moderate temperatures. To the north of the central plateau, such as Ciudad Juarez, there is a humid steppe during the summer with subtropical and desert climates. On the southern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, such as Yucatan and Merida, climate is tropical and continuously humid. On the northern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, such as Matamoros, climate is subtropical in steppes, humid during the summer. On the southern coasts of the Pacific Ocean, as in Mazatlan, climate is tropical and humid. On the northern coasts of the Gulf of California, such as Guaymas, climate is tropical and semi-desert. To the farthest northeast, such as Tijuana, climate is humid during the winter.

In Mexico there are places with great climate variations throughout the year; most notable is the state of Chihuahua with the lowest temperatures in the country during the winter, down to -4°F. The highest temperatures are registered in the desert of Sonora during the summer, frequently above 113°F. The coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean registers temperatures ranging from 60°F to 104°F. These regions in addition to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Chiapas and the Yucatan peninsula register the most rain, with 1,500 mm. The regions with the most extreme temperature variations throughout the year are Ciudad Juarez, Mexicali, San Luis Potosi, Hermosillo and Monterrey.

The dry tropic is located on the slopes of Sierra Madre Occiental and Oriental, the high basins of Balsas and Papaloapan rivers, certain regions of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas; therefore the dry tropic is the vastest region of extreme warm climates in Mexico.

Most of Mexico’s territory located to the north of the tropic of Cancer is an area with temperate characteristics, with a yearly average temperature ranging from 59°F to 77°F.
Mexico’s humid season is between May and October, raining an average of 70 days a year. The scarcity of rain is related to the mountains of the Mexican high plateau, presenting an obstacle to rain clouds. The semi-desert to the north of the high plateau barely reaches an average 245 mm of rain per year. Some other regions of Mexico can receive up to 1,000 and 3,000 mm of rain per year.

Artículo Producido por el Equipo Editorial Explorando México.
Copyright Explorando México, Todos los Derechos Reservados.
Foto: Wikipedia.org