August 2027 is the hinge of Guatemala’s rainy season: INSIVUMEH places the end of the canícula dry spell in part of August, after which heavy rain builds toward September. In our 1996-2025 reanalysis series the highlands get 12-13% of their yearly rain in August. The dated events are religious: the Virgen de la Asunción on Sunday 15 August, Guatemala City’s own feast day and a local holiday there, with Sololá’s fair the same day and Santa Cruz del Quiché’s on Wednesday 18 August. On the storm side, the US National Hurricane Center places the eastern Pacific peak in late August.

For the year-round picture, see the best time to visit Guatemala by month; the neighbouring months are July and September.

TL;DR: Canícula ends; rain picks up again (12-13% of the year’s highland rain, vs 10-11% in July). 15 August (Sunday in 2027) is Guatemala City’s feast day; the 2026 Jocotenango fair was scheduled for 8-16 August, 2027 dates not in the sources checked. Sololá on 15 August, Quiché on 18 August. Eastern Pacific storm peak in late August; Atlantic activity ramps up from mid-August. Fourth-busiest month in INGUAT’s 2025 count.

August weather: the canícula fades

INSIVUMEH’s 2018 climate study dates the canícula to July and part of August and says that once the Gulf of Mexico high weakens, heavy rain returns to complete the season in September and October. The table uses August values from our parent guide’s 1996-2025 Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis series (°C, °F in brackets) next to July’s share. Historical model averages, not a forecast.

DestinationAugust high/lowAugust share of the year’s rainJuly share
Antigua (1,540 m)25/16 (77/61)13%10%
Guatemala City—12%11%
Lake Atitlán, Panajachel (1,580 m)23/17 (73/63)12%10%
Xela (2,360 m)19/13 (66/55)12%10%
Tikal (300 m)32/23 (90/73)11%9%
Flores—14%11%
Semuc Champey (Lanquín)—8%10%
Livingston (sea level)29/24 (85/75)10%12%
Monterrico (sea level)30/24 (86/76)13%11%

The parent guide’s temperature table does not cover Guatemala City, Flores or Semuc Champey. The pattern splits by coast: most places get more rain in August than in July, but Semuc Champey (8%) and Livingston (10%) get less. Tikal’s August average high of 32°C (90°F) is level with July’s. The canícula page has the most recent season.

August 2027 dates

Date (2027)EventWhat the date rests on
August (2027 dates not in the sources checked)Feria de Jocotenango, Guatemala City zona 22026 edition scheduled 8-16 August
Sunday 15 AugustVirgen de la Asunción: Guatemala City’s feast day; Sololá’s patronal fairFeast day, 15 August every year
Wednesday 18 AugustFiestas Elenas, Santa Cruz del QuichéFeast of Santa Elena de la Cruz, 18 August every year

Guatemala City and 15 August. AGN reported on 15 August 2026 that Guatemala marks the Virgen de la Asunción, patron of Guatemala City and of other municipalities such as Asunción Mita and Jocotenango, and that 2026 was the city’s 250th year under her patronage. AGN’s 2026 holiday list gave the day as a holiday only in Guatemala City. Article 127 grants a paid day off on each locality’s feast day, and Decreto 19-2018 lists the local feast day among its exceptions to the Monday shift, so in 2027 the text keeps it on Sunday 15 August rather than moving it. AGN’s 2026 account gives a 5:00 mass on the feast day, followed at 6:15 by the festive procession of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción through the Centro Histórico.

Feria de Jocotenango. Prensa Libre gave the 2026 fair as 8-16 August, 10:00 to 22:00, with 306 traders according to the Municipalidad de Guatemala, plus the lighting of the Mapa en Relieve. Those dates have passed; the Jocotenango page covers the history and the next edition.

Sololá and Quiché. AGN describes Sololá’s patronal fair in honour of the Virgen de la Asunción on 15 August. Guatemala.com dates the Fiestas Elenas of Santa Cruz del Quiché, for Santa Elena de la Cruz, to 18 August each year. Both have their own event pages; the August ferias calendar lists the rest by department.

Hurricane season builds

Per the US National Hurricane Center, the eastern Pacific shows a peak in activity in late August, less pronounced than the Atlantic’s, while the Atlantic peak is 10 September, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. Guatemala faces both basins, and storms matter mainly through heavy rain, landslides and road closures, as our parent guide notes. INSIVUMEH also attributes part of the season’s rain to easterly waves; see tropical waves. For active systems, use the hurricane tracker.

Crowds

INGUAT counted 290,521 non-resident visitors in August 2025, fourth of the twelve months and ahead of every other month from May to October in that count. That is a 2025 count, not a 2027 forecast.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is August rainy in Guatemala?

Yes, it is mid rainy season. INSIVUMEH places the canícula dry spell in July and part of August, after which heavy rain returns. In our 1996-2025 reanalysis series August brings 12-13% of the year’s rain in Antigua, Guatemala City, Lake Atitlán and Xela, more than July (10-11%) and less than June or September.

Is 15 August a holiday in Guatemala City?

It is the feast of the Virgen de la Asunción, patron of Guatemala City, and AGN’s 2026 holiday calendar listed it as a day off only in Guatemala City. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday. Decreto 19-2018 exempts each locality’s feast day from the Monday-shift rule, so the text does not move it to Monday 16 August.

When is the Feria de Jocotenango 2027?

The 2027 dates were not in the sources checked as of 4 November 2026. The 2026 fair was scheduled for 8-16 August, 10:00 to 22:00 daily, per Prensa Libre. Our Jocotenango page follows the next edition.

Is August hurricane season in Guatemala?

Yes. Both basins are open, and the US National Hurricane Center puts the eastern Pacific’s peak in late August and most Atlantic activity between mid-August and mid-October, with the Atlantic peak on 10 September. Follow active systems on our hurricane tracker.

Is Semuc Champey good to visit in August?

On rain share, August is one of Semuc Champey’s lighter rainy-season months: 8% of its yearly rain in our reanalysis series, against 12% in June and 11% in September. Rain falls there in every month, so check the river and road conditions before you go.