Costa Rica weather in March

In March, Costa Rica sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 181 mm of rain across 23.8 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Costa Rica's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Costa Rica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
181 mm
23.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:38 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
67%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical March day in Costa Rica reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13021
23021
33021
43021
53021
63021
73021
83021
93021
103021
113021
123021
133021
143021
153021
163021
173021
182921
192921
202921
212921
222921
232921
242921
252921
262921
272921
283021
293021
303021
313021

How March really feels in Costa Rica

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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

March 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 March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23664
33763
43862
53961
64060
74060
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134060
143961
153862
163862
173862
183862
193763
203763
213862
223862
233862
243961
254159
264159
274258
284456
294654
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Costa Rica gets around 181 mm of rain over 23.8 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 76% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
281
381
480
579
679
778
878
977
1077
1177
1277
1378
1478
1578
1679
1779
1879
1979
2078
2178
2277
2377
2476
2574
2673
2771
2870
2968
3066
3165

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 68% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1136630
2146530
3146530
4146530
5246331
6246331
7246331
8256330
9246430
10246430
11246430
12146530
13146629
14136729
15136828
16136828
17136927
18136927
19137026
20137026
21137125
22047224
23047323
24057223
25057322
26067321
27067420
28077419
29077419
30087418
31187318

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 6:58 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:346:58
212.46:346:57
312.46:356:56
412.36:356:55
512.36:356:55
612.36:366:54
712.36:366:53
812.36:366:52
912.36:366:52
1012.26:376:51
1112.26:376:50
1212.26:376:49
1312.26:376:49
1412.26:386:48
1512.16:386:47
1612.16:386:46
1712.16:396:45
1812.16:396:44
1912.16:396:44
2012.16:396:43
2112.06:396:42
2212.06:406:41
2312.06:406:40
2412.06:406:39
2512.06:406:38
2612.06:416:38
2711.96:416:37
2811.96:416:36
2911.96:416:35
3011.96:416:34
3111.96:426:33

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.35 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 — March's 5.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Costa Rica

In seasonPeak

In March, Costa Rica sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 March a good time to visit Costa Rica?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Costa Rica.

What to pack for Costa Rica in March

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

In March, Costa Rica sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Costa Rica in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 14 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).