Today's weather for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico24th Nov 2009 05:42

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Weather Overview for Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta receives a tropical climate with extremely pronounced wet and dry seasons. High temperatures are assured year round. The resort is often compared to Hawaii which sits at the same latitude. Puerto Vallarta is a resort city in Mexico, on the country’s west coast with the Pacific Ocean.

The dry season, from November till May, is preferable to the wet season in every way for holidaymakers; temperatures and humidity are more amenable; the sun shines for longer; unsurprisingly, there is much less rain. In fact, Puerto Vallarta is incredibly dry for a tropical region, seeing almost no rainfall throughout the season. The odd storm will always occur, but very infrequently. The average high temperature drops to 31°C in November to the annual low of 29°C in January and February, before creeping back up to 33°C in May. Night times become pleasantly cool, dropping a whole 15°C most nights to 14°C. The sun stays out for around seven hours per day for most of the season. During the winter months the prevailing wind comes from the north, bringing a refreshing wind. This is much needed as even in these cooler months most people will find the heat and humidity hard to adjust to.

The wet season, from June till October, is characterised by immense tropical storms in which astounding amounts of rain crash to the earth. Rainfall increases very suddenly and peaks from June till September with about 350 mm of rain falling each month. Storms usually occur in later on in the day or at night and generally brief, so you are still likely to see blazing sunshine at least from morning till midday. The sun generally comes out for around six hours per day, but it can often become overcast, usually in the rapid build-up to a storm. Storms may come as a welcome relief from the heat. The average high temperature increases to 33°C and with added moisture night times do not cool off to as great an extent; the average low temperature does not fall below 20°C for the entire season. Summer months see winds coming from the southwest.

Puerto Vallarta’s climate is actually sees much less extreme storms than surrounding areas due to the south-westerly direction of the winds which mean weather systems pass over Cabo Corrientes before they reach the resort. Puerto Vallarta is somewhat protected from Pacific winds due to the curve of the bay, and the high mountains covered in thick rainforest that rise right behind it, and drop straight into the sea around it. The winds that affect the sea and the Pacific currents mean Puerto Vallarta is a great surfing spot. It does not have a hurricane season, as do eastern Mexican resorts such as Cozumel and Cancun, as it is on the Pacific coast, far from the hurricane belt.

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