Cancun is located in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico; it’s a flat platform of solid limestone that emerged from the sea thirteen millions years ago; because of its marine past and the proximity to the equator, the soil is very thin and it gives place to a short tropical jungle with a humid climate. Since it was part of the bottom of the sea, there are no significant elevations or hills and the permeability of the limestone, originated only underground rivers occasionally facing the surface in the form of sink holes or wells called “cenotes”.
The Yucatan peninsula is divided in three States, the State of Campeche that forms the west part of the peninsula on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the State of Yucatan on the north facing Florida, and the State of Quintana Roo where Cancun is located in the East part of the Peninsula, facing the Caribbean Sea.
With a privileged location, the Yucatan Peninsula is only 500 miles away from Florida; its beautiful resort destinations and wonderful nature are only a few hours away from major US cities; approximate flight times are: 1 hour and 45 minutes from Miami, 3 hours and 45 minutes from New York City, 4 hours and 10 minutes from Denver Colorado, only 2 hours and 20 minutes from Houston Texas.
With an average of 240 days of sunshine per year, Cancun offers the best weather among all the Caribbean destinations. Ocean Water temperature stays between 80 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit all year round. Rainy season goes from June through October with an average of only 58 days of rain during an entire year, during the first months of the rainy season (June - September), you can have some fast and short showers. In October you can see some heavy rain days, Hurricane season is the same as all the Caribbean destinations, from June through November.
Humidity is another factor to consider when you visit Cancun, the climate is hot and sometimes during the day you can feel your skin sticky due to the high humidity which remains constant all year round at 85 %; light and comfortable clothes are a must in order to enjoy your vacations, dark colors or long sleeves are not a good idea, you will feel better if you include white and light colors in your wardrobe to wear during the day as well as a hat to protect your face from the sun. Only in the months of January and February you will enjoy wearing a light jacket at night.
Skin Protection is a topic you should consider when planning your trip, because of the extreme UV radiation you can expose yourself to in the tropics. The UV Index gives an indication of how strong UV radiation may be under clear sky conditions around midday (noon). The number from 0 to 11 shows the potential for skin damage through exposure to the sun around this time of the day.
The UV Index is measured on the Global Solar UV Index (UVI) scale. The World Health Organization recommends protective measures to be taken for all UV values over 2.
In a scale from 0 to 11 the UV index is the following in Cancun:
From March through September the UV Index is 11.
October and February are 9.
November is 8.
January and December are 7.
The average maximum and minimum temperatures are:
 |
| |
| Cancun Weather |
|
High |
Low |
|
Celsius |
Fahrenheit |
Celsius |
Fahrenheit |
| January |
27 - 28 |
80 - 82 |
19 -20 |
66 - 68 |
| February |
27 - 29 |
81 - 84 |
19-21 |
67 - 70 |
| March |
28 - 30 |
83 - 86 |
21 - 22 |
70 - 72 |
| April |
29 - 31 |
84 - 87 |
22 - 23 |
72 - 74 |
| May |
31 - 32 |
87 - 90 |
24 - 26 |
76 - 78 |
| June |
31 - 32 |
88 - 90 |
25 - 26 |
77 - 79 |
| July |
32 - 33 |
90 - 92 |
26 - 27 |
78 - 80 |
| August |
32 - 33 |
90 - 92 |
24 - 26 |
76 - 79 |
| September |
31 - 32 |
88 - 90 |
24
- 26 |
76
- 78 |
| October |
31 - 32 |
87 - 90 |
23
- 25 |
74
- 77 |
| November |
28 - 29 |
83 - 85 |
21 - 22 |
70 - 72 |
| December |
27 - 28 |
81 - 83 |
20 - 21 |
68
- 70 |
|
|
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