May is when the rainy season settles over most of Guatemala: INSIVUMEH expected the 2026 rains to reach the Caribbean and the Altiplano Central between the last week of April and the first week of May, after starting in the west and Bocacosta in mid-April. Petén is the exception: still relatively dry in May on the long-run series, and at its hottest. The fixed date is 1 May, Labour Day, a paid holiday that stays on its date; in 2027 it is a Saturday.

In short: Rain arrives region by region, southwest first. On the 1996-2025 series May at least doubles the share of rain that April brings to Antigua, Guatemala City and Lake Atitlán, but stays at 7-8% of the year in Tikal and Flores; Tikal’s average high reaches 34 °C. The eastern Pacific hurricane season opens on 15 May. Labour Day is Saturday 1 May 2027, and Insomniac lists Empire Music Festival for 30 April and 1 May 2027.

The neighbouring months are Guatemala in April, the end of the dry season, and Guatemala in June, one of the two wettest months. The full-year comparison is the best time to visit Guatemala by month.

When the rains start: INSIVUMEH’s 2026 onset

INSIVUMEH, the national weather service, published a special bulletin on the start of the 2026 rainy season on 15 April 2026. It described that year’s behaviour as atypical and set out the onset by region:

Region (INSIVUMEH’s names)Expected onset, 2026 bulletinWhat INSIVUMEH reported on 5 May 2026
West (Occidente), BocacostaSecond to third week of April (slightly early)Early onset
Caribbean, Altiplano CentralLast week of April to first week of MayLate onset
Valles de Oriente, Franja Transversal del Norte, Pacific—Intermediate onset
Petén—Late onset

The bulletin described a gradual progression from the southwest towards the centre and north of the country, and expected April and May to be close to normal. It forecast a marked decrease in rain from June, with the largest deficits in July and August, and a canícula (the mid-season dry spell) between mid-June and early July, longer in the Caribbean and Petén. At the 5 May 2026 press conference with CONRED, INSIVUMEH expected a rain deficit in the regions where the onset was late.

The regional climate forum of 21-23 April 2026, whose outlook for May to July INSIVUMEH presented on 30 April, pointed the same way: rain below normal in several areas, an irregular distribution with long dry spells, temperatures tending above normal and a longer, more intense canícula. Those are 2026 forecasts, not dates for 2027.

How wet and how hot May is, place by place

From our parent guide’s 1996-2025 Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis series: May’s average high/low in °C (°F in brackets), then the rounded share of the year’s rain that falls in April, May and June. These are model averages, useful for the seasonal shape rather than for a particular week.

PlaceMay high/lowApril shareMay shareJune share
Antigua (1,540 m)26/17 (78/62)5%13%19%
Guatemala City—4%11%20%
Lake Atitlán, Panajachel (1,580 m)23/17 (73/63)7%14%18%
Xela (2,360 m)19/13 (67/55)8%16%16%
Tikal (300 m)34/23 (93/73)3%8%16%
Flores—2%7%16%
Semuc Champey (Lanquín)—5%8%12%
Livingston (sea level)30/25 (86/76)3%6%12%
Monterrico (sea level)31/25 (87/77)3%12%18%

Two patterns stand out. In the highlands and on the Pacific coast May is the step between a dry April and a wet June. In Petén and at Livingston the bigger jump comes in June, and May’s share there (6-8%) is below that of every month from June to October. Tikal’s May high of 34 °C equals April’s as the hottest in its row. The temperature series has no row for Guatemala City, Flores or Semuc Champey. See the best time to visit Tikal for time-of-day planning in the heat.

Hurricane season opens on the Pacific side

The US National Hurricane Center gives the eastern Pacific season, the basin off Guatemala’s Pacific coast, as 15 May to 30 November. The NHC says that on its 1991-2020 averages the first named storm there typically forms in early to mid-June and the first hurricane in late June. The Atlantic and Caribbean season starts later, on 1 June. Active systems appear on the hurricane tracker.

May dates

DateWhatStatus
30 April and 1 May 2027Empire Music Festival, Guatemala CityListed by Insomniac (read 9 November 2026)
1 May (Saturday in 2027)Labour DayArticle 127 paid holiday; stays on its date
15 MayEastern Pacific hurricane season beginsNOAA National Hurricane Center

Why 1 May does not move. Article 127 of the Labour Code lists 1 May among the paid holidays for private-sector workers. Decreto 19-2018 originally included it among the holidays moved to a Monday; the Corte de Constitucionalidad’s ruling of 17 March 2020 (case 5536-2018) removed that possibility for 1 May and 20 October. The rest of the year is on Guatemala holidays 2027.

Festival and ferias. The Empire Music Festival page covers tickets, the venue history and what the organiser has confirmed. Patron-saint fairs are listed by department on May ferias.

Planning a May trip

  • Morning plans in the highlands. With rain arriving across Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Xela, put hikes and boat crossings early in the day and keep afternoons flexible.
  • Petén heat. Tikal’s 34 °C average high is the year’s joint peak with April; carry water and plan the site around the cooler hours.
  • Pack for both. A light rain layer for the highlands and hot-weather clothing for Petén and the coasts; the packing guide covers both.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth going to Guatemala in May, when the rains start?

It depends where you go. In the 1996-2025 reanalysis series May brings 11-16% of the year’s rain to Antigua, Guatemala City, Lake Atitlán and Xela, up from 4-8% in April, while Tikal and Flores get only 7-8% and Livingston 6%. Tikal is at its hottest, with average highs of 34 °C. Expect showers in the highlands and plan Petén for early starts.

When does the rainy season start in Guatemala?

It moves across the country. INSIVUMEH’s bulletin of 15 April 2026 expected the rains to start in the west and Bocacosta in the second and third weeks of April, and in the Caribbean and Altiplano Central between the last week of April and the first week of May, progressing from the southwest towards the centre and north. On 5 May 2026 it reported the onset as early in the west and Bocacosta and late in Petén, the Caribbean and the Altiplano Central.

Is 1 May a holiday in Guatemala?

Yes. Article 127 of the Labour Code lists 1 May as a paid holiday for private-sector workers, and the Constitutional Court’s ruling of 17 March 2020 keeps it on its date rather than moving it to a Monday. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday.

Does hurricane season start in May?

On the Pacific side, yes. The US National Hurricane Center says the eastern Pacific season runs 15 May to 30 November and that the first named storm typically forms in early to mid-June. The Atlantic season starts on 1 June.

Is Empire Music Festival in May 2027?

Insomniac’s festival listing gives Empire Music Festival 2027 as 30 April and 1 May 2027 in Guatemala City (read 9 November 2026). Our Empire Music Festival page tracks the organiser’s own announcements.