MAZATLAN · JULY · SINALOA, MEXICO
Mazatlan in July is a warm-water month on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The sea sits at 88.1°F, the historic center and the Angela Peralta Theater stay on the itinerary, and the Malecon still runs from the old town to the Zona Dorada hotel strip. The price of that warmth is heat and rain: highs of 91.8°F and 7.51 inches of rain across the month.
July also sits between two very different neighbors. June recorded 0.77 inches of rain and August 8.85, so moving the trip by four weeks in either direction changes the weather more than it changes the temperature.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · MAZATLAN · JULY
July gives Mazatlan a sea at 88.1°F and highs of 91.8°F, with 12.2 rain days to plan around, so it suits a beach-first trip better than a week of hard sightseeing.
AIR: SMN STATION 25062, 1981-2010 · SEA: 2015-2024 DAILY MAXIMA · RAIN DAYS: 12.2
Go for: water at 88.1°F, sunrise walks through the historic center and boat days to the three bay islands.
Think twice before: booking long outdoor days in July heat and rain, or before reading the State Department’s Level 4 rating for Sinaloa.
Climate: SMN (CONAGUA) · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API · Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org · Advisory: U.S. Department of State
On this page
- Mazatlan weather in July91.8°F highs, 77.9°F lows and 12.2 rain days
- Can you swim in Mazatlan in July?Sea surface at 88.1°F, from daily maxima
- How busy is Mazatlan in July?The 3% lodging tax and where a room upgrade matters
- Things to do in Mazatlan in JulyEl Faro, the historic center, the Malecon and the three islands
- Mazatlan itinerary for JulyTwo days set around 5:27 a.m. sunrise and 6:55 p.m. sunset
- Mazatlan in July vs June and AugustHighs, rain and sea temperature for three months
- Is July a good time to visit Mazatlan?Who should go, and the month to pick instead
Flights arrive at General Rafael Buelna International Airport (MZT), operated by OMA and located southeast of downtown Mazatlan. The U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel advisory rates Sinaloa at Level 4, ‘Do not travel’. We read that rating on Sep 29, 2026. Read the advisory’s current text before you book, since the rating is the department’s and it can change.
Mazatlan weather in July
| July measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 91.8°F | SMN station 25062, 1981-2010 |
| Average low | 77.9°F | SMN station 25062, 1981-2010 |
| Precipitation | 7.51 inches | SMN station 25062, 1981-2010 |
| Days with measurable rain | 12.2 days | SMN count, threshold unpublished |
| Daylight on July 15 | 13 hours 28 minutes | sunrise-sunset.org |
Every figure here comes from the official 1981-2010 normals of Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, CONAGUA), station 25062, the Mazatlan observatory in the historic center. That is a real station, not a grid-cell reanalysis. The Zona Dorada hotel strip and Cerritos beach, a few miles north, are not measured separately, so read the numbers as the old town’s. July averages a 91.8°F high, a 77.9°F low and 7.51 inches of rain.
An average July records measurable rain on 12.2 days, a little more than a third of the month, by SMN’s own count. The station sheet does not publish its threshold, so a rain day can be a brief shower. We found no hourly data, so we promise no storm hour. Pack a light rain jacket and keep one indoor plan ready for each day.
Days and nights sit 13.9 degrees apart, from 91.8°F down to 77.9°F. Nights stay warm, so the bag is light: breathable shirts, a swimsuit, a hat, sunscreen and sandals that dry fast. A sweater is unnecessary.
On July 15 the daylight lasts 13 hours 28 minutes. The sun rises at 12:27 UTC and sets at 01:55 UTC, which is 5:27 a.m. and 6:55 p.m. in Mazatlan. The light drops at 6:55 p.m., so plan dinner and the Malecon walk around that time.
Can you swim in Mazatlan in July? Sea temperature
The sea surface off Mazatlan averages 88.1°F in July. That figure is the mean of daily maxima over 2015-2024 from the Open-Meteo Marine API, so it reads a shade warmer than a 24-hour mean would. The all-day average is a little lower, and we did not find that figure.
In practice the water is warm enough that you need no wetsuit and get no cold shock. It sits 3.7 degrees under the 91.8°F afternoon air and 10.2 degrees above the 77.9°F night low, so an evening swim feels warmer than the air around it. Zona Dorada and Cerritos are the main hotel-strip beaches for it.
Our sources carry no verified wave, wind or current data for July, so we cannot describe the surf. Check the beach conditions on the day and follow any flags before you go beyond the shallows.
How busy is Mazatlan in July? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series and no monthly hotel-rate series for Mazatlan, so we place July in no price ranking. What the calendar does show is the weather turning. June’s 0.77 inches of rain becomes 7.51 in July, and rain days climb from 2.2 to 12.2.
We could not verify a booking lead time for July either, so we give no number of weeks. Choose lodging with a free-cancellation window, because a month with 12.2 rain days can reshuffle a beach plan. Our travel basics cover general booking habits, and MZT is the airport to confirm first.
Sinaloa sets its lodging tax (Impuesto Sobre Hospedaje) at 3% under Article 27 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda, and fiscal press coverage confirms the rate unchanged for 2026. We could not verify whether a given hotel quote already includes it, so ask before you compare prices.
The one line item where paying more changes the month is the room’s air conditioning. With nights at 77.9°F and days at 91.8°F, a room that cools reliably matters more than a view or a lobby.
Things to do in Mazatlan in July
July is a water month. The sea is at 88.1°F, and the three islands facing the bay, Venados, Pajaros and Lobos, form a federally protected natural area reached only by boat. Whales belong to another season: humpbacks are seen off Mazatlan in winter, and the marina whale-watching trips follow them, so July is not the month for that.
El Faro stands 157 meters above sea level on Cerro del Creston, a viewpoint over the city and the harbor. The historic center is a federal Zona de Monumentos Historicos, declared by decree on March 12, 2001, and the Angela Peralta Theater sits inside it. The Malecon links that old town to the Zona Dorada strip.
The lighthouse and the old streets are the same in every month, but the air around them is not. In July it peaks at 91.8°F and holds a 77.9°F low, so the 157-meter climb belongs at first light, around 5:27 a.m. The islands read the other way: at 88.1°F the water is the comfortable part of a boat day.
We could not verify current admission prices or opening hours for these places, so we quote none. The Malecon is a public promenade, so a walk along it from the old town toward Zona Dorada needs no ticket.
Mazatlan itinerary for July
Day one starts at first light: climb El Faro around 5:27 a.m., while the air sits near the 77.9°F night low. Spend the mid-morning in the historic center and at the Angela Peralta Theater, then stay indoors through midday, since highs reach 91.8°F. In the late afternoon, walk the Malecon toward Zona Dorada and stop for the sunset at 6:55 p.m.
Day two is the water: arrange a morning boat to Venados, Pajaros or Lobos, when the sea is around 88.1°F. We have no verified operator, fare or schedule, so confirm those when you book. If rain comes in (12.2 days of the month bring measurable amounts), swap the days. Take the historic center that day and keep the boat for the next dry morning.
Mazatlan in July vs June and August
| Measure | June | July | August |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 90.3°F | 91.8°F | 92.1°F |
| Average low | 77.2°F | 77.9°F | 77.5°F |
| Precipitation | 0.77 inches | 7.51 inches | 8.85 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 2.2 days | 12.2 days | 13.1 days |
| Sea surface (Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015-2024) | 85.1°F | 88.1°F | 89.2°F |
Highs run 90.3°F in June, 91.8°F in July and 92.1°F in August, a climb of 1.5 degrees and then 0.3 degrees. Lows barely move, at 77.2°F, 77.9°F and 77.5°F. Rain is where the months split: 0.77 inches and 2.2 rain days in June, 7.51 inches and 12.2 days in July, 8.85 inches and 13.1 days in August. Air figures are SMN normals from 1981-2010.
Moving to June brings dry weather: 0.77 inches and 2.2 rain days against July’s 7.51 inches and 12.2. It costs 3.0 degrees of sea warmth, 85.1°F instead of 88.1°F. Moving to August brings 8.85 inches and 13.1 rain days, plus a sea only 1.1 degrees warmer than July’s. We found no crowd or price data separating the three months, so this trade rests on weather alone.
Is July a good time to visit Mazatlan?
Yes, if the plan is beach days, a sea at 88.1°F and evenings that stay near 77.9°F, and you can live with highs of 91.8°F and 12.2 rain days. No, if you want long outdoor sightseeing on dry days. Sinaloa’s Level 4 State Department rating belongs in the decision either way.
If the answer is no, pick June on the weather: 2.2 rain days and 0.77 inches, with a sea still at 85.1°F. August is no refuge at 13.1 rain days. Our when-to-go guides compare other months across our destinations.
July’s own position in these numbers is the sea at 88.1°F, 3.0 degrees warmer than June’s, arriving before August’s 8.85 inches of rain.
The last word
Book July for the 88.1°F water and a sunrise climb of El Faro, and book June if dry days matter more. Isla de la Piedra is a few minutes by panga from a pier near El Faro, a sea day that fits into an afternoon, and the fares we found disagree between sources, so ask before boarding. If Sinaloa’s Level 4 rating settles the question the other way, our destination guides are the next stop.
Sources & data for this guide
- Air temperature, rain and rain days · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), normales climatologicas 1981-2010, station 25062 (Mazatlan Obs) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Rain-day threshold · not published on the SMN station sheet, so a rain day may be a brief shower · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Sea surface temperature · Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015-2024 mean of daily maxima · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset · sunrise-sunset.org, calculated for July 15 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Lodging tax of 3% · Camara de Diputados, Gaceta Parlamentaria, Feb 13, 2024, citing Article 27 of Sinaloa’s Ley de Hacienda, rate for 2026 confirmed by El Contribuyente and J.A. del Rio · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Airport, El Faro height, historic zone decree · OMA, Ayuntamiento de Mazatlan, INAH (decree of March 12, 2001) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Island protection · SEMARNAT, decree date not located, so we give no year
- We found no occupancy series, hotel-rate series, panga fares, tour prices, attraction hours or July event dates, so none appear. Sights and beach notes are editorial · check operators when you book.