Rosarito in February: Weather, Sea Temperature, Rain Days and Lodging Tax

ROSARITO · FEBRUARY · BAJA CALIFORNIA

Rosarito sits on the Tijuana-Ensenada toll highway, the Scenic Highway, which is the main paved route linking it to both cities. Its main beach runs along the town’s oceanfront, and the fishing village of Popotla is close by. February brings mild afternoons and cold mornings, so the trip comes down to a jacket and a long walk.

Air temperatures barely separate January, February and March here, with highs of 69.4°F, 69.3°F and 71.1°F, so a four-week shift rarely rescues a trip. Rain and sea do move a little, and the comparison further down sets each month’s figures side by side. For the rest of the calendar, our month-by-month picks cover the other eleven.

On this page

• Rosarito weather in FebruaryHighs, lows and rain days from the Tijuana-area station
• Can you swim in Rosarito in February?Sea at 58.8°F, a mean of daily maxima
• Rosarito hotel prices in FebruaryThe 5% lodging tax and what we could not price
• What to do in Rosarito in FebruaryMain beach, Popotla and Baja Studios
• Rosarito itinerary for FebruaryTwo days built around a 5:35 p.m. sunset
• Rosarito in January or March insteadHighs, rain and sea for all three months
• Is February a good time to go to Rosarito?The answer, the March alternative and the Level 3 advisory

The air figures below are 1991-2020 normals from Mexico’s national weather service. The sea figure is a 2015-2024 average from the Open-Meteo marine API, and the lodging tax rates are the 2026 ones. None of it forecasts a specific week. For other stops in Mexico, start from our destinations index.

Rosarito weather in February

The February normals come from Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, CONAGUA), 1991-2020, station 02038 at Presa Rodriguez. That is an inland reservoir near Tijuana, about 9 miles from the coast, and the nearest official station. It records an average high of 69.3°F, an average low of 47.3°F and 2.53 inches of precipitation. Rosarito’s own beachfront is not separately measured and likely runs milder, with more coastal fog.

SMN counts 7.5 days of measurable rain in an average February, and its station sheet does not publish the threshold for “measurable,” so we do not compare that count with rain-day totals from other countries. In plain terms, roughly one February day in four brings rain. Build each day around a beach walk you can slide by a few hours and one indoor stop.

Afternoon and night sit 22.0 degrees apart at the station, from 69.3°F down to 47.3°F. Pack layers: a light jacket or fleece for mornings and after dark, a T-shirt for the middle of the day, closed shoes for the sand-to-street transitions. The coastal fog the beachfront likely gets adds another reason to keep the jacket in the bag.

On February 15 the sun rises at about 6:29 a.m. and sets at about 5:35 p.m. Tijuana time, for 11 hours 05 minutes of daylight (we converted the UTC times from sunrise-sunset.org). Dinner reservations land after dark, and any beach plan with a view needs to start by mid-afternoon.

Can you swim in Rosarito in February? Sea temperature

The sea surface off Rosarito averages 58.8°F in February, according to the Open-Meteo Marine API over 2015-2024. That figure is a mean of daily maxima, so it reads a shade warmer than a 24-hour average would. Other sea-temperature tables use different methods and may show a slightly different number for the same water.

The water sits 10.5 degrees below the 69.3°F afternoon air. Most visitors wade to the knees or take a quick dip, and anyone who wants to stay in needs a wetsuit. A sunny afternoon on the sand is pleasant, but the water will not match it.

We found no wave, wind or swell data for Rosarito in February, so we cannot say how choppy the water runs. Check a surf report on the morning you plan to get in, and treat a fogged-in, breezy day as a walking day.

How busy is Rosarito in February? Crowds and prices

We found no occupancy series and no monthly room-rate series for Rosarito, so we crown no month expensive or cheap. The one pricing signal we can source is the lodging tax below, and it stays the same whatever the calendar says.

We also hold no verified booking-window figure, so we give no number of weeks. Price the same nights in January and March on the booking site you plan to use, and pick a refundable rate if one is offered. General booking habits are covered in our Travel 101 section.

Baja California’s lodging tax (Impuesto sobre Servicios de Hospedaje) is 5% for hotels and 7% for moteles in 2026, including a 5% rate on digital booking platforms. The rates come from the state’s Ley de Hacienda, chapter V. We could not verify whether a given listing shows prices with the tax included, so look for the tax line at checkout.

Nights fall to 47.3°F at the station, and the beachfront likely brings fog, so the upgrade that matters in February is a room you can heat. Ask about heating before you ask about a pool.

Things to do in Rosarito in February

February suits a long walk along Rosarito’s oceanfront and a slow afternoon in the fishing village of Popotla. It is a walking month, and the itinerary below is built accordingly.

Rosarito’s main beach runs along the town’s oceanfront and is the destination’s principal draw. Popotla, the nearby fishing village, is the natural second stop. Baja Studios, built in 1997 by 20th Century Fox as Fox Studios Baja for the filming of Titanic, sits on the coast at Rosarito, with the build estimated at around 20 million dollars. We found no verified hours or admission prices for any of the three, so call before driving out to the studio in particular.

The sea barely moves through the winter: 59.7°F in January, 58.8°F in February and 59.3°F in March, all Open-Meteo Marine averages. That is a spread of 0.9 degrees. What shifts at the shoreline is the air, with highs climbing 1.8 degrees from February to March, and the rain, which peaks in February at 2.53 inches.

We could not verify which of these places charge admission, so we do not sort free from paid. Baja Studios is the one to check first, because it is the stop most likely to have set hours or tour times.

Rosarito itinerary for February

Day one starts with a jacket on the oceanfront, once the sun is well past its 6:29 a.m. rise and the air has climbed off its 47.3°F average low. Spend midday in Popotla, when the air is closest to the 69.3°F average high. Use late afternoon for the main beach, and be there for the light before sunset at 5:35 p.m. Dinner comes after dark, with the jacket back on.

Day two goes to Baja Studios, the Titanic complex on the coast, then onto the Scenic Highway if you want to drive toward Ensenada or back to Tijuana. If the day falls among the 7.5 average rain days, reverse the order and put the studio first, then use whatever dry window opens for the beach walk. We could not verify whether tours run in wet weather, so confirm the day before.

Rosarito in February vs January and March

All air figures are SMN normals for 1991-2020 from station 02038, and the sea figures are 2015-2024 marine averages. February’s high is 0.1 degrees under January’s and 1.8 degrees under March’s. Its 2.53 inches of rain is 0.49 inches above January and 1.01 inches above March, and it adds 0.7 rain days to January’s count and 1.1 to March’s. The sea reads 0.9 degrees under January and 0.5 degrees under March.

Moving four weeks later gains 1.8 degrees on the afternoon high, about an inch less rain and a sea 0.5 degrees warmer. Moving four weeks earlier gains 0.49 inches less rain and a sea 0.9 degrees warmer, with the same afternoon air. We found no price series, so we do not claim either shift saves money.

Is February a good time to visit Rosarito?

Yes for a walking, eating and film-history weekend on the coast, with a jacket and no plan to swim for long. Less so for a beach-and-pool trip. Read the U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory before booking: Baja California is at Level 3, “Reconsider travel,” citing terrorism, crime and kidnapping, with high homicide numbers in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana. The only travel restrictions in the state are in Mexicali Valley (reissued May 29, 2026).

If the water or the rain rules February out, March moves the numbers the right way: highs of 71.1°F, 1.52 inches of precipitation, 6.4 rain days and a 59.3°F sea.

February gives Rosarito a mild oceanfront month at 69.3°F highs, with the Titanic studio on the same coast, and we found no verified February event to add to it.

The last word

Pack the jacket, leave the long swim for a warmer month and drive the Scenic Highway with the ocean beside you. Fox announced Baja Studios in 1996 and built it by 1997 for Titanic, and it still stands on the coast at Rosarito. Call before you go.

Sources & data for this guide

• February normals (69.3°F high, 47.3°F low, 2.53 inches, 7.5 rain days) · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), normales climatologicas 1991-2020, station 02038 Presa Rodriguez, Tijuana · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Station reserve: inland reservoir about 9 miles from the coast, Rosarito’s beachfront not separately measured · same SMN source · checked Sep 30, 2026
• January and March normals and rain-day counts · SMN station 02038, 1991-2020 · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Sea surface temperature, January to March · Open-Meteo Marine API, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Feb 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted to Tijuana time · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Baja Studios · local press (eSpiral TV, June 15, 2026, and Wikipedia “Baja Studios”), corroborated by the municipal government of Playas de Rosarito · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Lodging tax · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Baja California, chapter V, with 2026 rates confirmed by El Contribuyente and J.A. Del Rio · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Travel advisory · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory reissued May 29, 2026 · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Editorial admission: we found no occupancy series, no monthly room-rate series, no February event dates, and no opening hours or admission prices for the places named. Confirm with operators when you book.