OAXACA · FEBRUARY · MEXICO
Oaxaca in February means clear mornings on a hilltop of Zapotec temples, a Sunday market in Tlacolula, and afternoons that reach 88.0°F on the official record. Rain barely registers, at 1.1 days in an average February.
The other end of the thermometer is cooler. The average low is 52.9°F, so the day starts in a sweater and ends in shirtsleeves. Compared with January and March, February sits in the middle on temperature and has the fewest rain days of the three at 1.1.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · OAXACA
February in Oaxaca is dry and bright, with 88.0°F afternoons, 52.9°F lows and about one rain day.
HIGHS 88.0°F · LOWS 52.9°F · 1.1 RAIN DAYS · DAYLIGHT 11 H 38 MIN
Go for: dry days on Zapotec ruins, the Tlacolula Sunday market and a valley loop to Yagul and Mitla.
Think twice if: you want warm evenings. The average low is 52.9°F, and March runs 56.5°F.
Climate: SMN (CONAGUA) station 20079 · Sites: INAH · Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org · full sources below
On this page
- Oaxaca weather in February88.0°F highs, 52.9°F lows, 1.1 rain days
- How cold are Oaxaca nights in February?The 52.9°F average low and what to layer
- Oaxaca hotel prices and crowds in FebruaryWhat we could and could not verify on rates and taxes
- Monte Alban, Mitla and Hierve el Agua in FebruaryHours and 210-peso entry fees
- Two-day Oaxaca itinerary for FebruaryMonte Alban day and the Tlacolula to Mitla loop
- Oaxaca in January vs February vs MarchHighs of 84.0°F, 88.0°F and 91.9°F
- Is February a good time to visit Oaxaca?Who it suits and when March is the better call
February brings about one rain day and no event we could verify. We read no festival dates for the month, so we name none. Check the local calendar before fixing dates, and see Where to Go by Month for the other eleven.
Oaxaca weather in February: average highs, lows and rain days
| Measure | February normal |
|---|---|
| Average high | 88.0°F |
| Average low | 52.9°F |
| Precipitation | 0.18 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 1.1 |
| Daylight on February 15 | about 11 hours 38 minutes |
Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, part of CONAGUA) publishes 1991-2020 normals for its own Oaxaca station, number 20079, in Oaxaca de Juárez at 1,594 meters. For February it records an average high of 88.0°F, an average low of 52.9°F and 0.18 inches of precipitation. That is a real thermometer in the valley city, and every figure here comes from it. Sierra villages sit higher and cooler.
The SMN counts 1.1 days of measurable rain in an average February and does not publish its threshold for “measurable.” About one day in the month gets rain, and 0.18 inches spread over the whole month would barely darken the pavement. Plan the outdoor days freely and keep a museum as the fallback.
Between the 88.0°F afternoon and the 52.9°F low lies a swing of 35.1 degrees. Pack for both ends: a T-shirt and sun hat for the hours around noon, a sweater or light jacket for early mornings and after sunset, and closed shoes for the uneven stone of the ruins.
Daylight on February 15 lasts about 11 hours 38 minutes, with sunrise near 6:52 a.m. and sunset near 6:29 p.m. local time (sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC). Monte Alban closes at 5 p.m., so the light after closing goes to the Zocalo.
How warm is Oaxaca in February?
Both extremes are averages of daily figures. The 88.0°F high marks the warmest part of an average afternoon, and the 52.9°F low the coolest point of an average night. Oaxaca city sits inland at 1,594 meters, so there is no sea temperature to report and we give none.
Breakfast on a terrace calls for a sweater. By late morning the layer comes off, and by the 88.0°F afternoon a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle matter more than clothes, especially on hilltop ruins.
Our source gives an average low of 52.9°F for the valley station and no count of frost nights, so we cannot say how often the city dips to freezing. Sierra villages sit higher and cooler than the station. If your plans climb there, pack warmer than the valley figures suggest.
How busy is Oaxaca in February? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series and no monthly room-rate data for Oaxaca, so we place February nowhere on the year’s price curve and crown no month expensive or cheap. A booking site’s calendar view for your exact dates will answer that better than we can.
Lead times are the same gap. We did not verify how many weeks ahead rooms fill in February. The INAH pages we read list hours and prices for Monte Alban, Mitla, Yagul and the Santo Domingo museum. We did not check whether any of them requires advance tickets, so confirm with INAH before a fixed-date trip. The Travel 101 section covers general booking habits.
We could not verify Oaxaca’s lodging-tax rate, so we give no percentage. Ask the hotel for the all-in total before you confirm.
Spend where the cold hits. With an average low of 52.9°F, ask before booking whether a room has heating or extra blankets, since we have no data on which properties do. Entry fees do not flex. The four INAH sites all charge 210 pesos general admission, and 105 pesos for Mexican nationals and foreign residents in Mexico.
Things to do in Oaxaca in February
With about one rain day, February suits open-air plans. Tlacolula’s Sunday market fills a valley town with local food and crafts. Small mezcal palenques around the valley open their stills to visitors. Teotitlan del Valle, on the road to Mitla, is known for wool rugs woven and dyed by hand.
Monte Alban crowns the Cerro del Jaguar above the valley. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, charges 210 pesos and opens daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. Mitla also charges 210 pesos, opens daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admits visitors until 4:30 p.m. Yagul sits just past Tlacolula on the Panamerican Highway, with the same 210 pesos and hours and last entry at 4 p.m.
The Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, in the former Santo Domingo convent, charges 210 pesos and opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hierve el Agua’s petrified waterfalls and mineral pools, east of the city near San Lorenzo Albarradas, are run by the local community, which collects its own entrance fee on site. We did not verify the amount. The ruins look the same in any month. The air is what February changes: 88.0°F afternoons suit a midday stop, while the coolest hours of the day call for a sweater.
We did not verify any free-entry days at the INAH sites for February. The Zocalo, shaded by laurel trees and framed by the cathedral and the state government palace, is an open public square, so a walk there costs nothing.
Oaxaca itinerary for February
Day one, Monte Alban and the city. Sunrise comes near 6:52 a.m. and the gate opens at 8 a.m., so arrive at opening and climb the platforms before the valley heads toward its 88.0°F afternoon. Leave well before the 4 p.m. last entry and lunch in the city. The Museo de las Culturas suits the hot hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Finish at the Zocalo, where sunset lands near 6:29 p.m. and the sweater comes back out.
Day two, the valley loop. Start in Tlacolula, with its market if the day falls on a Sunday. Continue to Yagul, just past town, last entry 4 p.m., then to Mitla, last entry 4:30 p.m. Teotitlan del Valle, on the road to Mitla, makes a rug stop, and a mezcal palenque fits the afternoon. If cloud settles in on the one rainy day of the month, swap the loop for the Santo Domingo museum, as long as it is not a Monday.
Oaxaca in February vs January and March
| Measure | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 84.0°F | 88.0°F | 91.9°F |
| Average low | 50.5°F | 52.9°F | 56.5°F |
| Precipitation | 0.09 in | 0.18 in | 0.69 in |
| Days with measurable rain | 1.4 | 1.1 | 4.1 |
All three columns come from the same SMN station and the same 1991-2020 period. The average high climbs 4.0 degrees from January to February and another 3.9 degrees into March. Lows rise 2.4 degrees, then 3.6 degrees. February has the fewest rain days of the three at 1.1, against 1.4 in January and 4.1 in March, though its 0.18 inches is twice January’s 0.09.
Moving four weeks earlier buys cooler afternoons, with highs of 84.0°F, and costs you nights at 50.5°F on average. Moving four weeks later buys milder nights at 56.5°F and costs you hotter afternoons at 91.9°F, plus 4.1 rain days. A dry stretch with a cool start is the one February offers.
Is February a good time to visit Oaxaca?
Yes, if you want clear days for ruins and the valley loop, since February averages 1.1 rain days and 88.0°F afternoons. It is a weaker fit for anyone after warm evenings, with an average low of 52.9°F. Either way, the U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory of May 29, 2026 rates the state of Oaxaca at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, the same baseline as most of the country.
If cool nights bother you, look at March, where lows average 56.5°F and highs 91.9°F, though rain days rise to 4.1. If afternoon heat bothers you more, January’s 84.0°F highs are gentler. And if Oaxaca’s nights are too cool for the trip you have in mind, our destinations index lists other places to compare.
February pairs 1.1 rain days with afternoons that stay 3.9 degrees under March’s average high.
The last word
Book the Monte Alban morning first, since the gate opens at 8 a.m., and let the rest of the trip fall around it. You will be standing where the Zapotec capital stood for some 1,500 years, with the 88.0°F afternoon still hours away.
Sources & data for this guide
- Temperature, precipitation and rain days, 1991-2020 normals, station 20079 (Oaxaca de Juárez, 1,594 m) · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- January and March comparison figures · same SMN station and period · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Monte Alban, Mitla and Yagul admission and hours · INAH · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca (Santo Domingo) admission and hours · INAH · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Monte Alban World Heritage status and Zapotec history · INAH, Lugares INAH · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on February 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted to Mexico City time · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory, Level 2 for the state of Oaxaca, issued May 29, 2026 · U.S. Department of State · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Descriptions of Hierve el Agua, the Tlacolula market, mezcal palenques, Teotitlan rugs and the Zocalo are general knowledge, not sourced figures. We did not verify the Hierve el Agua fee, lodging tax, room rates, booking lead times or February event dates. Hours and fees change · check operators when you book.