MEXICO · MERIDA · JANUARY
Merida in January is a warm city with mild nights. Afternoons average 86.4°F, the overnight low sits at 62.4°F, and measurable rain turns up on about one January day in six. The 2020 census counted 921,770 residents in the city, in the State of Yucatan, one of three Mexican states (with Campeche and Quintana Roo) that share the Yucatan Peninsula, the historical heartland of the Maya civilization.
December brings the same 86.4°F highs and a little more rain. February warms to 88.9°F and dries out. The Atlantic hurricane season closes on November 30, so January sits clear of it.
MERIDA IN JANUARY · AT A GLANCE
January in Merida means 86.4°F afternoons, 62.4°F nights and 5.1 days of measurable rain, so put the walking in the morning and the museum in the heat of the day.
AVERAGE HIGH 86.4°F · AVERAGE LOW 62.4°F · 5.1 RAIN DAYS · OUTSIDE HURRICANE SEASON
Go for: walking mornings on Paseo de Montejo and around the cathedral, nights that cool to 62.4°F, and a month with no hurricane risk.
Think twice before: counting on a swim at the coast. We have no sea-temperature reading, and Progreso runs a few degrees cooler than the city.
Climate: Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), station 31097 · Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org · full sources at the end
On this page
- Merida weather in January86.4°F highs, 62.4°F lows, 1.31 inches of rain, sunrise and sunset
- Merida temperatures in January, day and nightWhat to wear from dawn to afternoon, and what we could not read for the coast
- Merida crowds and prices in JanuaryAirport traffic, hurricane calendar and the figures we could not verify
- Things to do in Merida in JanuaryCathedral of San Ildefonso, Paseo de Montejo, Gran Museo del Mundo Maya
- A two-day Merida itinerary for JanuaryDay one on foot from 6:36 a.m., day two at the coast or the museum
- Merida in January vs December and FebruaryHighs, lows and rain days across the three months
- Is January a good time to visit Merida?Who should book it and who should move to February
Merida International Airport (MID), run by Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), sits less than 5 kilometers southwest of downtown, so a January arrival costs little of the first day. Neighborhoods, hotels and getting around live in our Merida city guide, and the choice between months across destinations is in our month-by-month planner.
Merida weather in January: average highs, lows and rain days
| Measure | Merida in January |
|---|---|
| Average high | 86.4°F |
| Average low | 62.4°F |
| Precipitation | 1.31 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 5.1 |
| Daylight on January 15 | About 11 hours 02 minutes |
| Sunrise · sunset, January 15 | 6:36 a.m. · 5:38 p.m. |
Every figure here comes from Mexico’s national weather service, the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), 1991-2020 normals, station 31097, Merida (Conagua), a thermometer inside the city. January averages a high of 86.4°F and a low of 62.4°F, with 1.31 inches of precipitation. Progreso, about 20 miles north on the Gulf coast, runs a few degrees cooler with the sea breeze, so these normals describe Merida itself.
An average January records 5.1 days of measurable rain, about one day in six. With 1.31 inches spread across the month, a wet day usually costs part of an afternoon, and the outdoor plan moves indoors for a few hours. The service does not publish its threshold for a rain day, so 5.1 may not match the count a U.S. forecaster would make.
Mornings and evenings are where you feel the 62.4°F low. A light sweater or overshirt covers them, short sleeves cover the middle of the day, and a thin rain shell covers the wet days. Sunscreen and a hat go in the bag for the hours near the 86.4°F high.
On January 15 Merida gets about 11 hours 02 minutes of daylight. The sun rises at 6:36 a.m. and sets at 5:38 p.m. (12:36 and 23:38 UTC, converted to local time). Any outdoor plan that depends on light needs to be finished before 5:38 p.m.
How warm is Merida in January?
The average high is 86.4°F and the average low 62.4°F, so day and night sit 24 degrees apart. Midday is warm and the night is mild.
Walks before the sun climbs are the cool part of the day, and a thin layer is enough. By afternoon, with the air near 86.4°F, cotton, a hat and water matter more than a jacket. At the coast, expect the Progreso breeze to take a few degrees off.
The normals give an average low, not a count of frost nights, and an average of 62.4°F points to no need for a coat. We also found no sea-temperature reading for Progreso, so we make no swimming promise.
How busy is Merida in January? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series and no hotel-rate series for Merida, so we crown no month expensive and none cheap. The calendar is the one thing we can place: the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10, so January falls after it has closed.
We could not verify a booking lead time for January, so we give no weeks-ahead rule. Merida’s airport handled 3,939,692 passengers in 2025, up 3.5% on the year before and ninth-busiest in Mexico. That is a yearly total with no monthly split, so it cannot tell you how full January flights run.
We could not verify the lodging-tax rate for Merida, so we give no percentage. Confirm the total with taxes included before you book, and see our travel basics for how to compare quotes.
The one line where paying more changes the month is location. A bed near the cathedral and Paseo de Montejo lets you walk in the cool after the 6:36 a.m. sunrise and be back indoors for the afternoon, when the high reaches 86.4°F.
Things to do in Merida in January
January leaves the whole outdoor list open. The average high tops out at 86.4°F, and only 5.1 days in the month bring measurable rain, so a walking plan needs a wet-day swap and no rebuild.
The Cathedral of San Ildefonso, dating to 1598, was the first cathedral built in continental North America. Paseo de Montejo, the city’s signature avenue, is lined with early-20th-century mansions and original sculpture, among them Las Casas Gemelas (the Twin Houses), completed in 1911. The Gran Museo del Mundo Maya is open Wednesday to Monday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. We could not verify admission prices for any of them, so we quote none.
Stone and sculpture do not change from month to month. The air does. In January it peaks at 86.4°F, so the avenue and the cathedral belong to the hours after sunrise, and the museum suits the warm middle of the day. A rain day changes the order of the stops and leaves the list as it was.
An avenue can be walked without a ticket. We have no verified free-admission list for the cathedral or the museum, so confirm at the door before you count on either.
Merida itinerary for January
Day 1, on foot. Start at sunrise (6:36 a.m.) on Paseo de Montejo, where the mansions, Las Casas Gemelas from 1911 among them, catch the early light. Walk on to the Cathedral of San Ildefonso before the air climbs toward 86.4°F. Rest through the warm afternoon and go out again for dinner after dark, since the sun sets at 5:38 p.m.
Day 2, coast or museum. On a clear day, head for Progreso, about 20 miles north, and bring the light layer for the sea breeze. If it rains (5.1 days do in an average January), spend the day at the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya, open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day but Tuesday. On a wet Tuesday, keep to the old center under a rain shell.
Merida in January vs December and February
| Measure | December | January | February |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 86.4°F | 86.4°F | 88.9°F |
| Average low | 63.3°F | 62.4°F | 63.1°F |
| Precipitation | 1.39 inches | 1.31 inches | 1.01 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 5.2 | 5.1 | 3.9 |
All three months come from the same station and the same 1991-2020 period. January’s high matches December’s at 86.4°F, while February runs 88.9°F, 2.5 degrees warmer. January has the lowest overnight average of the three at 62.4°F, against 63.3°F in December and 63.1°F in February. Rain totals read 1.39, 1.31 and 1.01 inches, and rain days 5.2, 5.1 and 3.9.
Moving four weeks earlier to December buys warmer nights and a little more rain, and no cooler afternoons. Moving four weeks later to February buys the warmest afternoons of the three and about a day fewer of rain, with nights barely different at 63.1°F against 62.4°F. We have no price or crowd data for either month, so the shift rests on weather alone.
Is January a good time to visit Merida?
Yes, for a traveler who wants to spend mornings on foot. Highs of 86.4°F, nights at 62.4°F and 5.1 days of measurable rain make walking easy. The U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory dated May 29, 2026 puts the State of Yucatan at Level 1, “Exercise normal precautions,” and in 2015 the Karolinska Institute of Sweden certified Merida an International Safe Community.
The answer turns to no for anyone who wants the warmest afternoons or a swim. February reaches 88.9°F with 3.9 rain days, and the coast runs a few degrees cooler than the city in any month we have data for. For that trip, choose February.
January is the coolest of the three months for sleeping, at 62.4°F overnight, and its 86.4°F afternoons still leave the cathedral, Paseo de Montejo and the museum within easy reach.
The last word
Book January for the mornings, and check the museum’s Tuesday closure before you fix your days. The city you are walking into was founded in 1542 by Spanish conquistadors on top of the Maya city of T’ho, and the best hour to feel that layering is the one just after the 6:36 a.m. sunrise on Paseo de Montejo.
Sources & data for this guide
- Temperature, precipitation and rain days, January, December and February normals · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), 1991-2020, station 31097, Merida (Conagua) · checked Sep 30, 2026 · SMN does not publish its rain-day threshold
- Sunrise, sunset and daylight on January 15 · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Gran Museo del Mundo Maya hours · operator’s website, granmuseodelmundomaya.com.mx · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Safety level · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory dated May 29, 2026 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Hurricane season dates and peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 30, 2026
- City history, cathedral, Paseo de Montejo, airport traffic and safe-community certification · Wikipedia (secondary source) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Peninsula states · EBSCO Research Starters (INEGI data), confirmed by Geo-Mexico · checked Sep 30, 2026
- We could not verify admission prices, the lodging-tax rate, hotel occupancy or rates, booking lead times or a sea-temperature reading for the coast, and we give none of them.