Oaxaca weather in November
November in Oaxaca: hot, dry, with clean air — one of the best months to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#1 of 12 months in Oaxaca · #91 of 1413 destinations to visit in November · comfort 91/100 (tier S)
- Days
- 29°C
- Nights
- 12°C
- Wet days
- 2
- Sun
- 10.1 h
- Humidity
- 68%
- Daylight
- 11 h

What November is like in Oaxaca
Day of the Dead on 1-2 November is at its most serious here, with village cemeteries lit through the night. Dry and clear.
festivalpeak
confidence: high
Traveller notes on Oaxaca in November
Oaxaca's forum rates November among the best months for climate — the rainy season is over, humidity is down, and the hills are still green from summer's rains rather than dried out. Regulars put highs around 82°F with cooler nights near 49°F, calling evenings genuinely chilly enough for a sweater despite warm, pleasant days.
Go for the first two days of November — Día de Muertos is the reason, and the weather (dry, 26°C, cool nights) is a bonus. Book a year out or accept a room forty minutes away. The rest of November is quiet and just as pleasant.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Oaxaca climate normals — November
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Oaxaca in November
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.
Peak crowdsthe editor's peak month, Day of the Dead
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).
Best weatherOaxaca's weather peaks November–January.
November includes Marigolds in the markets.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Oaxaca in November
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Marigolds in the markets
10 Oct – 1 Nov · usuallyMajor festivalCempasuchil arrives from the valley farms towards the end of October and the whole Central de Abastos smells of it. The city starts building for the dead a fortnight ahead.
- Festival
Day of the Dead
31 Oct – 2 NovReligious feastCrowdedBook earlyVigils in the valley cemeteries from the night of 31 October; rooms go a year ahead. Source ↗
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?
Oaxaca in November — FAQ
- Is November a good time to visit Oaxaca?
- November in Oaxaca: hot, dry, with clean air — one of the best months to visit. It ranks #1 of 12 months for Oaxaca on SeasonMap's comfort score (91/100).
- What is the weather like in Oaxaca in November?
- In November, Oaxaca averages a daily high of 28.7°C and a low of 11.5°C, with about 9.8 mm of rain over roughly 1.8 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Oaxaca in November?
- Oaxaca has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 34 in November.
Within 300 km: Puerto Escondido's Olive ridley arribadas around 1 Jul – 15 Dec, and Huatulco's Olive ridley nesting around 1 Jul – 15 Dec.