La Fortuna weather in October

In October, La Fortuna sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 319 mm of rain across 29.7 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is La Fortuna's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Fortuna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
7th warmest
Overnight low
21°
7th coldest
Rainfall
319 mm
29.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:31 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
89%
9th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical October day in La Fortuna reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 1°C warmer than November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12821
22821
32821
42821
52821
62721
72721
82721
92721
102721
112721
122721
132721
142721
152721
162721
172721
182721
192721
202721
212721
222721
232721
242721
252721
262721
272721
282721
292721
302721
312721

La Fortuna weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 1st-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3397
4397
5397
6397
7397
8397
9397
10397
11496
12595
13595
14595
15694
16694
17694
18694
19793
20793
21793
22793
23793
24793
25793
26793
27892
28892
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

La Fortuna gets around 319 mm of rain over 29.7 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 96% and peaks near 98% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
197
297
397
497
597
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1298
1398
1498
1598
1698
1798
1897
1997
2097
2196
2296
2395
2495
2594
2694
2793
2893
2992
3092
3191

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1694
2694
3694
4694
5793
6793
7793
8793
9793
10793
11793
12793
13793
14793
15793
16793
17892
18892
19991
20991
211090
221090
231189
241288
251288
261387
271486
281585
291684
301882
311981

Wind in October

Winds average 5 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:305:25
211.95:305:24
311.95:305:24
411.95:305:23
511.95:305:22
611.95:305:22
711.85:305:21
811.85:305:21
911.85:305:20
1011.85:305:20
1111.85:305:19
1211.85:305:19
1311.85:305:18
1411.85:315:17
1511.85:315:17
1611.85:315:17
1711.85:315:16
1811.75:315:16
1911.75:315:15
2011.75:315:15
2111.75:315:14
2211.75:315:14
2311.75:325:14
2411.75:325:13
2511.75:325:13
2611.75:325:12
2711.75:325:12
2811.75:335:12
2911.65:335:12
3011.65:335:11
3111.65:335:11

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.8 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 — October's 3.8 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit La Fortuna?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in La Fortuna.

What to pack for La Fortuna in October

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

In October, La Fortuna sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near La Fortuna in October

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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