MAZATLAN · AUGUST · SINALOA, MEXICO
Mazatlan in August is hot, wet and warm in the water. Afternoons average 92.1°F, nights hold at 77.5°F, and the Pacific runs 89.2°F. Rain falls on 13.1 days of an average month, and 8.85 inches accumulates by the end of it.
The decision for a summer vacation here is whether to go now or slide four weeks either way, and the numbers make it a small one. July and September post highs of 91.8°F and 91.6°F, within a degree of August’s 92.1°F. The tiebreaker is rain: 13.1 days in August against 12.2 in July and 12.4 in September.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · MAZATLAN
August in Mazatlan runs hot and wet with a warm sea, so book a refundable room with air conditioning and read the State Department’s Level 4 advisory for Sinaloa before you commit.
AIR: 1981–2010 NORMALS · SEA: 2015–2024 MEAN · SMN STATION 25062
Go for: Pacific water at 89.2°F, El Faro at first light, and the historic center and Malecón on foot before the afternoon heat.
Think twice before: booking without reading the U.S. State Department’s Level 4 ‘Do not travel’ advisory for Sinaloa, or if 77.5°F nights without air conditioning sound miserable.
Climate: SMN (CONAGUA) · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine · Advisory: U.S. Department of State · dated sources below
On this page
- Mazatlan weather in AugustHighs of 92.1°F, lows of 77.5°F, 13.1 rain days
- Can you swim in Mazatlan in August?Sea surface at 89.2°F
- How busy and how expensive Mazatlan is in AugustSinaloa’s 3% lodging tax and the missing rate data
- Things to do in Mazatlan in AugustEl Faro, the Malecón, Angela Peralta Theater, the three islands
- A two-day Mazatlan itinerary for AugustSunrise at El Faro, sunset on the Malecón
- Mazatlan in August vs July and SeptemberHighs, rain days and sea temperature for three months
- Is August a good time to visit Mazatlan?Who should go, who should wait, and the Level 4 advisory
Flights land at General Rafael Buelna International Airport (MZT), run by Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (OMA) and set southeast of downtown. From there a base in the historic center or a hotel in the Zona Dorada both work, and three nights (est.) cover the essentials without hurrying.
Mazatlan weather in August
| Measure | Mazatlan in August |
|---|---|
| Average high | 92.1°F |
| Average low | 77.5°F |
| Precipitation | 8.85 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 13.1 (SMN count) |
| Daylight on August 15 | 12 h 58 min |
The air figures here come from Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, part of CONAGUA): the official 1981–2010 normals for station 25062, the Mazatlan observatory, read on September 29, 2026. August averages a 92.1°F high, a 77.5°F low and 8.85 inches of precipitation. That thermometer stands in the historic center, so the Zona Dorada hotel strip and Cerritos beach, a few miles north, are not measured separately.
The SMN counted 13.1 days of measurable rain in an average August and does not publish its threshold for that count. That is a bit more than two days in five. Our sources give no hour-by-hour timing, so we cannot say whether the rain falls in the afternoon or overnight. Keep a shaded or indoor stop in every day’s plan and a light rain layer in the bag.
Between the 92.1°F average high and the 77.5°F low there is a swing of 14.6°F, and the low is still warm. Nothing heavy goes in the suitcase: light cotton, a swimsuit or two, sunscreen, a rain shell. A room with air conditioning that works is worth more than a sweater.
Daylight lasts about 12 hours 58 minutes on August 15. Sunrise comes at 5:40 a.m. and sunset at 6:38 p.m. local time (sunrise-sunset.org gives 12:40 UTC and 01:38 UTC). The first hour after sunrise is the coolest stretch for walking, and a sunset dinner can start at 6:38.
Can you swim in Mazatlan in August? Sea temperature
The Open-Meteo Marine API puts the sea surface off Mazatlan at 89.2°F in August, averaged over 2015 to 2024. That is a mean of daily maxima, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average would. Read it as the afternoon temperature of the water.
At 89.2°F the Pacific is warm enough to stay in for an hour without a wetsuit, and it sits close to the 92.1°F air. Zona Dorada and Cerritos are the main hotel-strip beaches. Venados, Pajaros and Lobos, the three islands facing the bay, need a boat.
Our sources carry no August wind or swell data, so we cannot say how rough the surf runs or how clear the water is. Ask your hotel or the lifeguards on the day before you swim. A warm sea temperature says nothing about currents.
How busy is Mazatlan in August? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series and no hotel-rate series for Mazatlan, so we do not call August cheap or expensive. The weather is the part we can measure: highs of 92.1°F put August within a degree of July and September, so the trip feels the same across the three months. Comparing rates for your dates in a booking engine will say more than any average we could quote.
We also have no booking-lead data, so no number of weeks appears here. Search flights into MZT and rooms for July, August and September in the same session, and prefer free-cancellation rates so the trip can slide if the forecast changes your mind. Our Travel 101 guide covers the booking basics.
Sinaloa’s lodging tax, the Impuesto Sobre Hospedaje, is set at 3% under Article 27 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda, and reporting from 2026 confirms the rate unchanged. We could not verify whether each hotel adds it on top of the quoted rate or folds it in. Read the final line of the bill before you pay.
The room is the one place where paying more changes the month. With nights holding at 77.5°F, working air conditioning and a pool or beach within a short walk do more for the trip than a bigger dining budget. We have no rate data, so we cannot say what that upgrade costs.
Things to do in Mazatlan in August
Humpback whales are a winter sight off Mazatlan, with whale-watching boats leaving the marina then, so August trades them for swimming, island boat trips and early walks.
El Faro, the lighthouse on Cerro del Creston, stands 157 meters above sea level. Below it, the Malecón runs along the water from the historic center to the Zona Dorada hotel strip, and the Angela Peralta Theater sits inside the historic zone that a federal decree of March 12, 2001 protects. Across the bay, Venados, Pajaros and Lobos form a federally protected natural area reached only by boat. Closer in, pangas cross from a pier near El Faro to Isla de la Piedra, a few minutes each way.
With 92.1°F afternoons, the hill at 157 meters is a first-light outing after the 5:40 a.m. sunrise. The beach or a boat fits the hot middle of the day, when shade and a swim are the whole point. We could not verify current hours or entry fees for El Faro or the theater, so confirm both locally.
Walking the Malecón costs nothing, and neither does wandering the streets of the historic center. Boats are the paid part. Informal fare reports for the Isla de la Piedra pangas disagree with one another, so we quote no price, and we have no verified fares or schedules for the island boats either.
Mazatlan itinerary for August
Day one starts at first light, around the 5:40 a.m. sunrise, up at El Faro, well before the day climbs toward its 92.1°F average high. By late morning, drop into the historic center and the Angela Peralta Theater. Take the hot hours at a Zona Dorada beach or hotel pool, then walk the Malecón toward the 6:38 p.m. sunset.
Day two belongs to the water: a boat trip toward Venados, Pajaros and Lobos in the morning, then a panga from the pier near El Faro across to Isla de la Piedra. If rain moves in, which happens on 13.1 days in an average August, swap the boats for the indoor stops in the historic center and save the beach for the next dry stretch.
Mazatlan in August vs July and September
| Month by month | July | August | September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 91.8°F | 92.1°F | 91.6°F |
| Average low | 77.9°F | 77.5°F | 77.2°F |
| Precipitation | 7.51 inches | 8.85 inches | 8.35 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 12.2 | 13.1 | 12.4 |
| Sea surface (Open-Meteo, daily maxima) | 88.1°F | 89.2°F | 89.2°F |
August has the most rain of the three at 8.85 inches, against 7.51 in July and 8.35 in September, and the most rain days at 13.1 to 12.2 and 12.4. Highs run 91.8°F, 92.1°F and 91.6°F, lows 77.9°F, 77.5°F and 77.2°F. The sea reads 88.1°F in July and 89.2°F in both August and September (Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015–2024), and the air figures all come from the SMN’s 1981–2010 normals.
Moving to September buys 8.35 inches of rain instead of 8.85 and 12.4 rain days instead of 13.1, with the same 89.2°F sea. Moving back to July gives the least rain of the three at 7.51 inches and costs 1.1°F of sea warmth. Four weeks either way shifts the air by less than a degree, and with no rate data we cannot promise a price difference.
Is August a good time to visit Mazatlan?
Yes for a traveler who wants warm water, long light and a Pacific city with a lighthouse and a theater, and who is fine with 92.1°F highs and 13.1 rain days. The U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel advisory rates Sinaloa Level 4, ‘Do not travel’ (checked Sep 30, 2026). Read that rating before you book anything, in any month. A traveler who will not go against a Level 4 rating has the answer for every month.
If heat and rain are the objection, the numbers give little reason to move: July has 7.51 inches and 12.2 rain days, September 8.35 inches and 12.4, and the air stays within a degree. For a different climate altogether, browse where to go month by month or our destinations.
August in one line: 89.2°F water off Mazatlan, a lighthouse hill at 157 meters to climb at first light, and air temperatures within a degree of July’s and September’s.
The last word
Go with a refundable room, air conditioning for the 77.5°F nights and a first hour each day up at El Faro before the sun climbs, then finish on the Malecón for the 6:38 p.m. sunset. Read the Level 4 advisory before you book. One detail we could not pin down: when the three islands were first protected. Our sources give no decree date, so we quote none.
Sources & data for this guide
- Air normals (August 1981–2010, station 25062, Mazatlan Obs) and rain-day count · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA) · 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 for August 15 · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Lodging tax, 3% under Article 27 of the Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Sinaloa · Cámara de Diputados, Gaceta Parlamentaria, Feb 13, 2024, rate confirmed unchanged for 2026 by El Contribuyente · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory, Sinaloa Level 4 · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Historic zone decree of March 12, 2001 and Angela Peralta Theater · INAH, Catálogo Nacional de Monumentos Históricos Inmuebles · checked Sep 30, 2026
- El Faro height · Ayuntamiento de Mazatlán, municipal tourism portal · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Airport operator and location · OMA · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Protected island area · SEMARNAT · checked Sep 30, 2026 · we did not find the decree date
- We found no occupancy or hotel-rate series, and we could not verify hours, entry fees, boat fares or schedules · confirm with operators when you book. Descriptions of the Malecón, the beaches and the whale season are editorial.