MEXICO · LA PAZ · AUGUST
La Paz in August trades mild air for a warm bay: an average afternoon high of 100.0°F, a sea at 86.1°F and a long, bright day. It suits boat days, snorkel masks and lunches taken out of the midday sun.
One expectation to reset before booking: the regulated swim with whale sharks in the Bay of La Paz refuge sits outside the month. The 2026-2027 season runs from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · LA PAZ · AUGUST
Plan boat and beach time around a 100.0°F afternoon, and expect a sea at 86.1°F with rain on about one day in five.
AVG HIGH 100.0°F · SEA 86.1°F · 6.3 RAIN DAYS · WHALE SHARK SEASON OPENS OCT 1
Go for: swimming and boat days in 86.1°F water, about 13 hours of daylight, and a rain total of 1.79 inches for the month.
Think twice before: planning walks or sightseeing at midday, when the average high is 100.0°F, or counting on a whale shark swim, since the 2026-2027 season opens October 1.
Air: SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API · Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org · full sources at the bottom
On this page
- La Paz weather in August100.0°F highs, 77.4°F lows, 6.3 rain days
- Can you swim in La Paz in August?Sea at 86.1°F, and what that figure averages
- How busy is La Paz in August?The 4% lodging tax, airport traffic, booking
- Things to do in La Paz in AugustIsla Espiritu Santo, the waterfront, whale shark dates
- La Paz itinerary for AugustTwo days set around sunrise, midday heat and sunset
- La Paz in August vs July and SeptemberHighs, rain and sea temperature for all three months
- Is August a good time to visit La Paz?Who should go, and who should shift to July or September
Before any month is chosen, the U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory (reissued May 29, 2026) puts Baja California Sur at Level 2, exercise increased caution, due to terrorism and crime, with no specific restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in the state. Read it again close to departure. Other places for the same month sit in our month-by-month guides, and the general trip basics are in Travel 101.
La Paz weather in August: average highs, lows and rain days
| Measure | August in La Paz |
|---|---|
| Average high | 100.0°F |
| Average low | 77.4°F |
| Precipitation | 1.79 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 6.3 |
| Sea surface (mean of daily maxima) | 86.1°F |
| Daylight on August 15 | About 13 hours |
Every figure here for air temperature and rain comes from the 1991-2020 normals of Mexico’s national weather service, the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (SMN), measured at its own La Paz station, number 03074, in town. The thermometer stands near the waterfront, so read the numbers as conditions along the malecon and the bay rather than on an island out in it. An average August day reaches 100.0°F and falls to 77.4°F, with 1.79 inches of rain over the month.
The SMN records 6.3 days of measurable rain in an average August, about one day in five. Its station sheet does not publish the threshold for “measurable,” so a rain day can be a passing shower or a soaking, and the average cannot tell you which. Keep one spare day in any boat plan.
Between the 100.0°F afternoon and the 77.4°F night there are 22.6 degrees of swing, but the night barely cools. Nothing warm goes in the bag. Pack a wide-brim hat, sunscreen, a refillable water bottle and light long sleeves against the sun.
On August 15 the sun is up for about 13 hours, by sunrise-sunset.org’s calculation. Sunrise comes just before six in the morning and sunset just before seven in the evening, La Paz time (America/Mazatlan). That gives the outdoor day its shape: the early morning, a long pause through midday, and the last hour of light for a waterfront walk.
Can you swim in La Paz in August? Sea temperature
The Open-Meteo Marine API puts the sea surface off La Paz at 86.1°F in August, averaged over 2015-2024. That number is a mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so a 24-hour average runs a shade lower. It also comes from a different source and period than the SMN air normals.
At 86.1°F you can stay in the water as long as you like without a wetsuit. The sea sits 13.9 degrees below the average afternoon high, which is why a swim cools you without a shock.
We found no verified wind or swell record for the bay in August, so we cannot say how choppy the water runs on a given day. Ask the boat operator the evening before you go.
How busy is La Paz in August? Crowds and prices
We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series for La Paz, so we place August on no rung of the price ladder. The one scale marker we hold: La Paz International Airport (LAP), run by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, recorded 1,337,600 passengers in 2025. That is a full-year total, and we could not read a monthly split.
We have no lead-time data, so we give no number of weeks to book ahead. Choose a refundable room, since nothing in our sources says August sells out or stays open, and confirm boat trips directly with the operator.
Baja California Sur charges a lodging tax, the Impuesto sobre la Prestacion de Servicios de Hospedaje, of 4% in 2026 under article 13 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda. Whether a hotel folds it into the nightly rate or adds it at checkout, we could not verify. Ask which figure you are being quoted.
In our judgment (not a price quote), the room is the one line where paying more changes the month. With an average low of 77.4°F, air conditioning that holds overnight matters more than a view of the bay. Ask about it before you pay, since we verified no rates for it.
Things to do in La Paz in August
With the sea at 86.1°F and daylight running about 13 hours on August 15, the month fits boat days and snorkeling. The whale shark swim follows a separate calendar. A federal management plan covers three seasons between 2026 and 2029, and SEMARNAT’s notice of September 17, 2026 sets the first from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.
Isla Espiritu Santo, in the Bay of La Paz, has been a national park since 2007 and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California” since 2005. It makes a boat day from town. We verified no entry fee and no operator price, so we quote none.
The water at the island is the same bay, so the 86.1°F reading applies as a bay-wide API figure, and we found no separate island measurement. The air is what changes on land or deck: 100.0°F on an average afternoon shortens shore walks and lengthens swim stops. Ask operators about a shaded deck and the departure time, since we verified neither.
We verified no free-admission list for La Paz sights in August, so we name none as free. A stroll along the malecon needs no ticket, and after sunset, just before seven, the evening starts near the 77.4°F overnight low.
La Paz itinerary for August
Day one, in town. Start on the malecon at sunrise, just before six, while the air is nearest the 77.4°F overnight low. Spend the midday stretch, with the average high at 100.0°F, indoors or in a pool. Come back to the waterfront for sunset just before seven, and eat after dark.
Day two, on the water. Book a boat to Isla Espiritu Santo, leave early and plan to be back before sunset. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen. If rain arrives (6.3 days in an average August), swap the two days and sail on the dry one.
La Paz in August vs July and September
| Measure | July | August | September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 100.8°F | 100.0°F | 96.6°F |
| Average low | 74.8°F | 77.4°F | 76.5°F |
| Precipitation | 0.46 inches | 1.79 inches | 3.20 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 3.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Sea surface (Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015-2024) | 83.5°F | 86.1°F | 87.1°F |
August’s 1.79 inches of rain falls between July’s 0.46 and September’s 3.20, and its 6.3 rain days match September’s count while July had 3.4. Highs slip from 100.8°F to 100.0°F to 96.6°F, lows read 74.8°F, 77.4°F and 76.5°F, and the sea climbs from 83.5°F to 86.1°F to 87.1°F. Air figures are SMN station normals for 1991-2020. Sea figures are API means for 2015-2024.
Moving four weeks later to September gets you a high 3.4 degrees lower and a sea at 87.1°F, and costs you a rain total of 3.20 inches from 1.79 inches on the same 6.3 rain days. Moving four weeks earlier to July brings 0.46 inches and 3.4 rain days, but a sea 2.6 degrees cooler and a high 0.8 degrees warmer.
Is August a good time to visit La Paz?
Yes, for travelers who want warm water and long days and are happy to spend the afternoon on a boat, in a pool or in the shade: a 100.0°F average high, an 86.1°F sea and about 13 hours of light. No, for anyone planning midday walking or sightseeing. We found no storm records in our sources, so check the forecast before paying non-refundable rates.
September suits travelers who want a cooler afternoon (96.6°F on average) and a sea at 87.1°F, as long as 3.20 inches of rain is acceptable. July suits those who want the driest of the three, with 0.46 inches and 3.4 rain days. A whale shark swim needs a trip between October 1, 2026 and April 30, 2027.
August pairs a sea at 86.1°F with a rain total of 1.79 inches, a middle position between a drier July and a wetter September.
The last word
La Paz in August rewards a plan that follows the water and the shade. One detail for the way out: the weekday Baja Ferries sailing on the La Paz to Topolobampo run checks in at 12:00 and departs at 13:30, in the middle of a 100.0°F day. The Saturday sailing checks in at 21:30, departs at 23:00 and arrives at 08:00 the next morning. Take the Saturday boat if the mainland is next, and spend the last afternoon in the bay.
Sources & data
- Air temperature, rain and rain days · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), 1991-2020 normals, station 03074 (La Paz DGE) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Sea surface temperature (mean of daily maxima, 2015-2024) · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Aug 15 · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Whale shark refuge season · SEMARNAT notice of Sep 17, 2026, gob.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Isla Espiritu Santo status · CONANP and UNESCO, corroborated by El Sol de Mexico, Aug 10, 2024 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Airport traffic · Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, aeropuertosgap.com.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- La Paz to Topolobampo ferry · Baja Ferries, Rutas y Horarios · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Lodging tax · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Baja California Sur, art. 13; 2026 rate confirmed by El Contribuyente · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory · U.S. Department of State, Level 2 for Baja California Sur, reissued May 29, 2026 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series, no wind or swell record and no storm record for the bay, so we give no price ranking, no sea-state forecast and no storm odds. Fares, hours and operators change · confirm when you book.