La Fortuna weather in January

In January, La Fortuna sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 110 mm of rain across 15.3 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is La Fortuna's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Fortuna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Rainfall
110 mm
15.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:04 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
52%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in La Fortuna reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12620
22620
32520
42520
52519
62519
72519
82519
92519
102519
112519
122519
132519
142519
152519
162519
172519
182519
192519
202519
212619
222619
232619
242619
252619
262619
272619
282619
292619
302619
312619

La Fortuna weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°11015.311.56.1
Feb26° / 19°548.111.77.1
Mar28° / 20°326.611.97.0
Apr29° / 21°521012.25.5
May28° / 21°25524.612.53.7
Jun28° / 21°30428.812.63.3
Jul27° / 21°26028.112.63.6
Aug28° / 21°24328.512.33.5
Sep28° / 21°2882912.13.3
Oct27° / 21°31929.711.83.4
Nov26° / 20°2912611.53.9
Dec26° / 20°19721.911.44.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45149
55149
65248
75248
85347
95347
105446
115446
125446
135545
145644
155743
165842
175941
186040
196139
206238
216337
226535
236535
246733
256733
266832
277030
287030
297228
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

La Fortuna gets around 110 mm of rain over 15.3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 49% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
359
458
558
657
757
856
956
1055
1155
1254
1353
1452
1551
1650
1749
1848
1947
2046
2145
2244
2343
2442
2540
2639
2738
2837
2936
3035
3135

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
16877
26886
36895
47885
57894
68884
78893
88893
99883
1010873
1110873
1211872
1311872
1412862
1512862
1612862
1713852
1813861
1913861
2013861
2113861
2213861
2313852
2413852
2513852
2613852
2713852
2813852
2913852
3013852
3113852

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:005:24
211.46:005:24
311.46:015:25
411.46:015:25
511.46:015:26
611.46:025:26
711.46:025:27
811.46:025:27
911.46:035:28
1011.46:035:28
1111.46:035:29
1211.46:035:29
1311.46:045:30
1411.46:045:30
1511.46:045:31
1611.46:045:31
1711.56:055:32
1811.56:055:32
1911.56:055:33
2011.56:055:33
2111.56:055:34
2211.56:055:34
2311.56:055:35
2411.56:065:35
2511.56:065:36
2611.56:065:36
2711.56:065:36
2811.56:065:37
2911.56:065:37
3011.56:065:38
3111.56:065:38

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit La Fortuna?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit La Fortuna for sightseeing.

What to pack for La Fortuna in January

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

In January, La Fortuna sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near La Fortuna in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 66 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in November near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in La Fortuna in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 La Fortuna peaks around March 17 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 14Dec 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in La Fortuna in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in La Fortuna 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1623 µg/m³Jan 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is La Fortuna?

La Fortuna sits at 10.5°N, 84.6°W, 0 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Monteverde, 26 km away.

MonteverdeQuesadaSan_Ramon_CañasEsparzaChacaritaPuntarenasEl Castillo

Topography around La Fortuna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around La Fortuna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 281 m around an average of 270 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,738 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,891 m.

The land around La Fortuna is covered by grassland (55%) and trees (42%) within 3 km, trees (63%) and grassland (35%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
281 m
16 km
1,738 m
80 km
2,891 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Monteverde 26 km · Quesada 28 km · San_Ramon_ 47 km · Cañas 50 km · Esparza 53 km · Chacarita 56 km · Puntarenas 59 km · El Castillo 67 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
Roman Catholic 48%none 27%Evangelical and Pentecostal 20%other 3%

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 La Fortuna (10.4709°, -84.6453°, elevation 0 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).