Oaxaca weather in March

March in Oaxaca: hot, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Oaxaca🇲🇽 Mexico · Central Mexico · City86
  1. 90Jan
  2. 88Feb
  3. 86Mar
  4. 84Apr
  5. 80May
  6. 71Jun
  7. 84Jul
  8. 79Aug
  9. 73Sep
  10. 86Oct
  11. 91Nov
  12. 91Dec

#5 of 12 months in Oaxaca · #304 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 86/100 (tier A)

Days
33°C
Nights
13°C
Wet days
3
Sun
10.9 h
Humidity
56%
Daylight
12 h
Oaxaca, Mexico
Photo: Jhovani Morales · Pexels

What March is like in Oaxaca

Warm, dry and dusty at the end of the dry season, with hard bright light on the valley.

dustshoulder

confidence: high

Traveller notes on Oaxaca in March

Notes from nearby Puerto Escondido (138 km away)

Oaxaca doesn't have its own notes for March yet — these are about Puerto Escondido, close enough to share the season.

March closes the busy season here, which regulars date December to March, and the swell is a little further along than January's. Their practical division is by beach rather than by month: Carrizalillo is the calm cove, quite flat with small waves in early March and swimmable through the whole winter, while the surf beaches carry enough size by February and March to make swimming there hazardous even when the waves are not huge. The roughest water of the year comes with the summer rains, and the surf competition is held in late November. Our row is the dry, hot version of Mexico's Pacific: 30C reading as 34C, 4.4mm across 0.8 precipitation days, and a 27.3C sea. The record: 23.4C nights, humidity 75 percent, 11 hours of sun and AQI 34.
CarrizalilloNotZicatela · March · 1 month ago · about Puerto Escondido · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Other months in Oaxaca

Regulars call this among the two best months of the year climate-wise, genuinely dry with warm days in the 20s and 30s Celsius, the cold season already fading while the real heat of April and May stays comfortably off. Our row backs that warm, genuinely dry read, 30.5C reading as a hot 30C, over 10.8C nights, with rain essentially absent, 3mm across just half a day on average, and humidity down to 58 percent. Regulars are consistent nights and early mornings still turn cool enough for a light jacket even as daytime highs climb into t-shirt-and-shorts territory. This remains a genuinely comfortable stretch for exploring the city and nearby ruins without either winter's chill or summer's heat. The record: 10.6 hours of sun, a 12.8 kph wind and AQI 34.
DrySeasonPeaksBeforeAprilHeatArrives · February · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Oaxaca-forum threads on October weather describe the rainy season as clearly winding down by this point, early-month days still carrying some risk of a tropical system but the back half of October repeatedly called a genuinely safe, pleasant bet weather-wise. Posters describe a comfortable daily pattern - warm, sunny days settling into a noticeably cooler evening once the sun drops, cardigan-and-jacket territory after dark even though the afternoon felt like shorts weather. Regulars call late October, right before Dia de Muertos, one of the best windows of the whole year, the landscape still green from the rains but the sky reliably clear. The standing advice for anyone arriving in the first week or two is to keep a light rain layer handy just in case, less necessary by the back half. The record: 28.3C days feeling like 30C, 14C nights, a clean 29 AQI and 9.3 hours of sun.
ZocaloOctoberRegular · October · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Oaxaca-forum threads on July weather describe warm days in the low-to-mid 30s Celsius and cooler nights, part of the rainy season that began the previous month, but posters are consistent the humidity here stays well short of what the Oaxacan coast delivers the same time of year - the city's higher elevation keeps the air noticeably more comfortable. The standing pattern regulars describe is periodic rain that typically starts toward the end of the day and clears again overnight, rarely a factor during daytime sightseeing. Thunderstorms tend to build around sunset, and while an occasional one arrives earlier and catches visitors off guard, posters say it usually passes within a few hours rather than washing out the whole day. Regulars call July a genuinely comfortable month for exploring the city's markets and colonial center. The record: 29.4C days feeling like a sticky 31C, 15.1C nights, 95mm across 14.1 days, 76 percent humidity and 10.3 hours of sun.
ZocaloJulyRegular · July · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
January in Oaxaca is dry-season perfection with a cold edge after dark. Regulars give daytime highs in the high 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit and nights in the 50s, dipping towards the high 30s earlier in the month - our row's 28.7C day over a 9.8C night is that gap, one of the widest in this whole round, and it comes from altitude rather than season. Their dress code follows exactly: short sleeves and something light by day, long sleeves with a shawl or a light jacket in the evening, and a sweater on the colder nights. The dry season means clear, sunny days throughout - our row records 3.2mm across 0.9 days. The record: humidity 62 percent, 10.1 hours of sun and AQI 32.
ShortSleevesThenAShawl · January · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Oaxaca's card on the map.

Oaxaca climate normals — March

Daytime high33°C / 91°F🥵 hot
Nighttime low13°C / 55°F
Feels like (high)32°C / 90°F
Rainfall17 mm / 0.7 in☀️ dry
Rainy days3 days
Humidity56%🍃 comfortable
Dew point7°C / 44°F
Sunshine10.9 h/day
Daylight12.1 h
Wind13 km/h / 8 mph
Air quality (US AQI)43🍃 good

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Oaxaca in March

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Busybetween the peaks, Semana Santa, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

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Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Oaxaca's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Fair weatherOaxaca's weather peaks November–January.

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Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Oaxaca in March

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Festival

    Tilcajete carnival

    1 Feb – 10 Mar · usually

    A day trip 27 km south: on Shrove Tuesday the alebrije-carving village of San Martin Tilcajete fills with oil-blackened devils in carved masks and cowbells, plus a mock wedding parade. Source ↗

  • Holiday

    Semana Santa

    29 Mar – 5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

    Mexican families fill the city and the valley villages for the week, and the processions in Ocotlan and Tlacolula are the ones worth driving out for. Source ↗

What's on around the world in March →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Oaxaca — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Oaxaca?

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Oaxaca in March — FAQ

Is March a good time to visit Oaxaca?
March in Oaxaca: hot, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #5 of 12 months for Oaxaca on SeasonMap's comfort score (86/100).
What is the weather like in Oaxaca in March?
In March, Oaxaca averages a daily high of 32.5°C and a low of 12.8°C, with about 17.2 mm of rain over roughly 2.9 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Oaxaca in March?
Oaxaca has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 43 in March.

Within 300 km: Puerto Escondido's Humpbacks offshore around 1 Dec – 31 Mar, and Huatulco's Humpback whale season around 1 Dec – 31 Mar.