Cañas in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Cañas sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 67 mm of rain over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Cañas's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Cañas's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 67 mm
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Cañas in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Cañas reaches about 27°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Cañas
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Cañas weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 20° | 16 | 4.8 | 11.5 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 28° / 20° | 8 | 2.3 | 11.7 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 29° / 20° | 7 | 2.2 | 11.9 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 30° / 21° | 37 | 7.2 | 12.2 | 5.2 |
| May | 29° / 22° | 221 | 21.8 | 12.5 | 3.7 |
| Jun | 28° / 22° | 265 | 25.6 | 12.6 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 28° / 22° | 178 | 22.7 | 12.5 | 4.2 |
| Aug | 28° / 22° | 209 | 24.3 | 12.3 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 28° / 21° | 290 | 27.7 | 12.1 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 28° / 21° | 312 | 27.6 | 11.8 | 3.6 |
| Nov | 27° / 21° | 134 | 18 | 11.5 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 27° / 21° | 42 | 9.2 | 11.4 | 6.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Cañas gets around 67 mm of rain over 16 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Cañas
None of Cañas's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Cañas's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Cañas?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Cañas for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Cañas in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Cañas sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Cañas in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 61 km away) is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in February near 27°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Warm |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in Cañas in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cañas peaks around March 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 10 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Air quality in Cañas in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Cañas is worst in May — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (January, 10 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 11 | 13 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 21 | Moderate |
| May | 23 | Moderate |
| Jun | 21 | Moderate |
| Jul | 22 | Moderate |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 18 | Moderate |
| Oct | 15 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
Where is Cañas?
Cañas sits at 10.4°N, 85.1°W, 86 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Monteverde, 34 km away.
Topography around Cañas
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cañas.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Cañas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 83 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 723 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,977 m.
The land around Cañas is covered by grassland (46%) and trees (41%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and grassland (40%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.
Costa Rica travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 59% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $19,970
- 2025
- Happiness
- 7.4 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 81%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 17.7
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 14.8
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 516
- Religion
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 Cañas (10.4311°, -85.0982°, elevation 86 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.