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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in San José Costa Rica

In San José, the wet season is humid and overcast, the dry season is partly cloudy, and it is warm year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 63°F to 81°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 84°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit San José for warm-weather activities is from mid December to late March.

Climate in San José

warmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow64%64%4%4%overcastprecipitation: 6.5 inprecipitation: 6.5 in0.7 in0.7 inmuggy: 58%muggy: 58%3%3%drydrytourism score: 7.6tourism score: 7.64.44.4
San José weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The temperature in San José varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

Average High and Low Temperature in San José

Average High and Low Temperature in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FSep 2077°FSep 2077°FApr 781°FApr 781°F63°F63°F64°F64°FDec 2477°FDec 2477°F64°F64°F64°F64°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 78°F79°F80°F81°F79°F78°F78°F78°F77°F77°F77°F77°F
Temp. 70°F70°F71°F71°F70°F70°F70°F69°F69°F68°F69°F69°F
Low 64°F64°F64°F65°F65°F64°F65°F64°F63°F63°F64°F64°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in San José

Average Hourly Temperature in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcoolcoolcomfortablecomfortablewarmcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Kampala, Uganda (8,036 miles away) and Lambayong, Philippines (10,143 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to San José (view comparison).

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In San José, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in San José begins around November 24 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around April 8.

The clearest month of the year in San José is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 8 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around November 24.

The cloudiest month of the year in San José is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 95% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in San José

Cloud Cover Categories in San JoséclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Jan 264%Jan 264%Jun 44%Jun 44%Nov 2433%Nov 2433%Apr 835%Apr 835%NowNowclearmostly clearmostly cloudyovercastpartly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 38%44%51%74%92%95%93%93%94%92%74%47%
Clearer 62%56%49%26%8%5%7%7%6%8%26%53%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in San José varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.9 months, from May 2 to November 29, with a greater than 29% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in San José is October, with an average of 15.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.2 months, from November 29 to May 2. The month with the fewest wet days in San José is March, with an average of 2.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in San José is October, with an average of 15.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 51% on October 6.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in San José

Daily Chance of Precipitation in San JoséwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Oct 651%Oct 651%Mar 127%Mar 127%May 229%May 229%Nov 2929%Nov 2929%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 3.3d2.5d2.5d5.8d11.6d13.3d12.7d12.9d14.6d15.2d10.8d6.1d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. San José experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in San José. The month with the most rain in San José is October, with an average rainfall of 6.4 inches.

The month with the least rain in San José is March, with an average rainfall of 0.7 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in San José

Average Monthly Rainfall in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 in14 in14 inOct 106.5 inOct 106.5 inMar 150.7 inMar 150.7 inJun 35.8 inJun 35.8 inJul 234.7 inJul 234.7 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 1.1″0.8″0.7″2.0″4.9″5.5″4.7″5.3″6.2″6.4″4.3″2.2″

The length of the day in San José does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 42 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 33 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 12 hours, 42 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in San José

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 6 minMar 1912 hr, 6 minMar 1912 hr, 42 minJun 2012 hr, 42 minJun 2012 hr, 7 minSep 2212 hr, 7 minSep 2211 hr, 33 minDec 2111 hr, 33 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 11.6h11.8h12.1h12.4h12.6h12.7h12.6h12.4h12.2h11.9h11.7h11.6h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:14 AM on May 28, and the latest sunrise is 45 minutes later at 5:58 AM on January 28. The earliest sunset is at 5:11 PM on November 15, and the latest sunset is 51 minutes later at 6:01 PM on July 11.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in San José during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in San José

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PMMay 285:14 AMMay 285:14 AM6:01 PMJul 116:01 PMJul 11Nov 155:11 PMNov 155:11 PM5:58 AMJan 285:58 AMJan 28daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in San José

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM000010101010202020203030303040404040505050506060606070707080000010101010202020203030303040404040505050506060607070805790NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in San José

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

San José experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 7.8 months, from April 13 to December 6, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 17% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in San José is October, with 16.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in San José is January, with 1.2 days that are muggy or worse.

Humidity Comfort Levels in San José

Humidity Comfort Levels in San JosémuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 243%Jan 243%Jun 158%Jun 158%Apr 1317%Apr 1317%Dec 617%Dec 617%NowNowmuggymuggyhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydryoppressiveoppressive
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 1.2d1.3d2.7d5.7d14.3d15.6d11.9d13.0d15.6d16.0d9.5d3.6d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in San José experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from December 11 to April 8, with average wind speeds of more than 2.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in San José is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.1 months, from April 8 to December 11. The calmest month of the year in San José is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 1.9 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in San José

Average Wind Speed in San JoséwindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0.0 mph0.0 mph0.5 mph0.5 mph1.0 mph1.0 mph1.5 mph1.5 mph2.0 mph2.0 mph2.5 mph2.5 mph3.0 mph3.0 mph3.5 mph3.5 mph4.0 mph4.0 mph4.5 mph4.5 mph5.0 mph5.0 mph5.5 mph5.5 mphFeb 53.5 mphFeb 53.5 mphJun 81.8 mphJun 81.8 mphDec 112.7 mphDec 112.7 mphApr 82.7 mphApr 82.7 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 3.33.53.12.52.01.92.01.91.92.02.22.8

The predominant average hourly wind direction in San José varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 1.5 months, from September 7 to October 24, with a peak percentage of 43% on October 1. The wind is most often from the east for 10 months, from October 24 to September 7, with a peak percentage of 66% on January 1.

Wind Direction in San José

Wind Direction in San JoséEWEJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwesteastnorthsouth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

San José is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 1°F of 83°F throughout.

Average Water Temperature in San José

Average Water Temperature in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec80°F80°F81°F81°F82°F82°F83°F83°F84°F84°F85°F85°F86°F86°FMay 184°FMay 184°F82°FNov 2382°FNov 23Mar 3184°FMar 3184°FJun 1784°FJun 1784°FOct 2882°FOct 2882°FFeb 282°FFeb 282°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 82°F83°F83°F84°F84°F84°F83°F83°F83°F83°F82°F82°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in San José throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit San José for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to late March, with a peak score in the first week of January.

Tourism Score in San José

Tourism Score in San Josébest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.67.64.44.4NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit San José for hot-weather activities is from early December to mid April, with a peak score in the first week of January.

Beach/Pool Score in San José

Beach/Pool Score in San Josébest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810104.94.92.72.74.84.83.53.53.13.1NowNowtemperaturetemperature precipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in San José are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in San José

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowcoolcomfortablewarm
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Growing Degree Days in San José

Growing Degree Days in San JoséJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F1,000°F1,000°F2,000°F2,000°F3,000°F3,000°F4,000°F4,000°F5,000°F5,000°F6,000°F6,000°F7,000°F7,000°FJan 690°FJan 690°FMar 311,800°FMar 311,800°FDec 317,142°FDec 317,142°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from February 2 to April 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in San José is March, with an average of 6.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from May 20 to November 15, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in San José is October, with an average of 3.8 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in San José

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in San JosébrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhMar 216.8 kWhMar 216.8 kWhOct 103.7 kWhOct 103.7 kWhFeb 26.2 kWhFeb 26.2 kWhMay 204.4 kWhMay 204.4 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 5.86.46.76.14.63.84.04.13.93.84.45.1

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of San José are 9.933 deg latitude, -84.083 deg longitude, and 3,809 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of San José contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 466 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 3,759 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (5,571 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (12,303 feet).

The area within 2 miles of San José is covered by grassland (53%), trees (37%), and artificial surfaces (10%), within 10 miles by grassland (42%) and trees (42%), and within 50 miles by trees (53%) and grassland (17%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in San José, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There is only a single weather station, Juan Santamaría International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of San José.

At a distance of 15 kilometers from San José, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records.

The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and San José according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.