Costa Rica weather in August

In August, Costa Rica sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 17 mm of rain across 2.5 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 31°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of August to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Costa Rica's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Costa Rica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
4th coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
2.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:56 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
32%
2nd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 31°C by the end.

A typical August day in Costa Rica reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 1°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12917
22917
32917
43017
53017
63017
73017
83017
93018
103018
113018
123018
133018
143018
153018
163018
173018
183118
193118
203118
213118
223118
233119
243119
253119
263119
273119
283119
293119
303119
313119

How August really feels in Costa Rica

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Costa Rica weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 21°25626.2133.3
Feb29° / 21°21523.612.63.3
Mar30° / 21°18123.812.13.6
Apr29° / 20°8112.411.65.0
May28° / 18°395.711.17.0
Jun28° / 17°182.410.97.9
Jul28° / 16°111.4117.6
Aug30° / 18°172.511.46.0
Sep31° / 20°678.711.94.5
Oct31° / 21°12918.512.43.7
Nov30° / 21°17522.212.93.5
Dec29° / 21°21725.613.13.4

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38020
48020
58119
68020
78119
88119
98119
108119
118119
128218
138218
148218
158317
168317
178317
188317
198317
208218
218218
228218
238119
248119
258020
268020
277921
287921
297921
307921
317822

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Costa Rica gets around 17 mm of rain over 2.5 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 8% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
35
45
55
65
75
85
95
105
116
126
136
146
157
167
177
188
198
208
219
2210
2310
2411
2512
2613
2713
2814
2915
3016
3117

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1731980
2731980
3731980
4731980
5721981
6711991
7711991
8711991
9711991
10711991
11711991
12702091
136920101
146920101
156920101
166821101
176821101
186821101
196821101
206722101
216722101
226623101
236523111
246423112
256323122
266323122
276123133
286023134
295923144
305922145
315822155

Wind in August

Winds average 10 km/h in August, the windiest month of the year.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of August to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 7:04 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:046:13
211.27:036:14
311.27:036:14
411.27:036:14
511.27:026:14
611.27:026:15
711.27:016:15
811.27:006:15
911.37:006:16
1011.36:596:16
1111.36:596:16
1211.36:586:17
1311.36:586:17
1411.36:576:17
1511.46:566:17
1611.46:566:18
1711.46:556:18
1811.46:546:18
1911.46:546:18
2011.46:536:19
2111.46:526:19
2211.56:516:19
2311.56:516:19
2411.56:506:20
2511.56:496:20
2611.56:486:20
2711.56:476:20
2811.66:476:20
2911.66:466:21
3011.66:456:21
3111.66:446:21

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in October across the year — August's 5.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Costa Rica

In seasonPeak

None of Costa Rica's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Costa Rica's monsoon runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Costa Rica?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Costa Rica for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Costa Rica in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Costa Rica sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Costa Rica in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Costa Rica peaks around January 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 22UV 15Jun 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Costa Rica in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Costa Rica is worst in September — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1722 µg/m³Jun 125 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar6Good
Apr5Good
May5Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep24Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Costa Rica?

Costa Rica sits at 18.5°S, 53.1°W, 646 m above sea level, in Brazil. The nearest listed city is Chapadão do Sul, 60 km away.

Topography around Costa Rica

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Costa Rica.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Costa Rica has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 160 m around an average of 655 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 307 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 616 m.

The land around Costa Rica is covered by grassland (39%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, cropland (41%), grassland (28%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (42%), grassland (31%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
160 m
16 km
307 m
80 km
616 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Chapadão do Sul 60 km · Mineiros 124 km · Alto Araguaia 137 km · Cassilândia 160 km · Jataí 166 km · Coxim 172 km · São Gabriel do Oeste 178 km · Rio Verde de Mato Grosso 185 km

Brazil travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / N
127 / 220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$10,713
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
89%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
19.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
16
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 482
Religion
Roman Catholic 57%Evangelical 27%none 9%other 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Costa Rica (-18.5439°, -53.1292°, elevation 646 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).