Puerto Viejo weather in January

In January, Puerto Viejo sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 301 mm of rain across 21.9 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-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 46% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Puerto Viejo's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Puerto Viejo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
301 mm
21.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
5:56 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
48%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Puerto Viejo reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12725
22725
32725
42724
52724
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

Puerto Viejo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°30121.911.55.0
Feb27° / 24°18418.411.75.3
Mar27° / 25°15819.211.95.3
Apr28° / 25°20621.212.24.6
May28° / 26°3882712.43.7
Jun28° / 26°44628.312.63.3
Jul28° / 25°58130.312.53.3
Aug28° / 26°4152912.33.4
Sep28° / 26°27327.212.13.5
Oct28° / 26°3222811.83.6
Nov27° / 25°58127.411.63.7
Dec27° / 25°48026.411.44.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35941
45941
55941
66040
76040
86040
96139
106139
116139
126139
136238
146337
156238
166337
176436
186535
196634
206733
216832
226931
237030
247129
257228
267228
277426
287426
297426
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Puerto Viejo gets around 301 mm of rain over 21.9 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 71% and peaks near 80% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
279
378
477
576
676
775
874
973
1073
1172
1272
1371
1470
1570
1669
1769
1868
1968
2068
2168
2268
2367
2467
2567
2666
2766
2866
2966
3066
3166

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11684
21684
31783
41882
51882
61981
71981
82080
92080
102179
112179
122278
132377
142476
152476
162575
172674
182674
192773
202773
212872
222971
232971
243070
253070
263169
273268
283268
293367
303367
313466

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:51 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:515:18
211.45:515:18
311.45:525:19
411.55:525:19
511.55:525:20
611.55:535:20
711.55:535:21
811.55:535:21
911.55:545:22
1011.55:545:22
1111.55:545:23
1211.55:555:23
1311.55:555:24
1411.55:555:24
1511.55:555:25
1611.55:565:25
1711.55:565:26
1811.55:565:26
1911.55:565:27
2011.55:565:27
2111.55:565:27
2211.55:575:28
2311.55:575:28
2411.55:575:29
2511.55:575:29
2611.55:575:30
2711.65:575:30
2811.65:575:30
2911.65:575:31
3011.65:575:31
3111.65:575:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.6 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Puerto Viejo?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Puerto Viejo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Puerto Viejo in January

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

In January, Puerto Viejo sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Puerto Viejo in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 15 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in January near 27°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
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Puerto Viejo 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 Puerto Viejo 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 19UV 14Dec 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Puerto Viejo 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 Puerto Viejo is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Nov 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar9Good
Apr13Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Puerto Viejo?

Puerto Viejo sits at 9.7°N, 82.8°W, 0 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Changuinola, 36 km away.

ChanguinolaPuerto LimónSiquirresBoqueteTurrialbaSan IsidroParaíso

Topography around Puerto Viejo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Puerto Viejo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 884 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,593 m.

The land around Puerto Viejo is covered by water (52%) and trees (46%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and water (43%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
206 m
16 km
884 m
80 km
3,593 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Changuinola 36 km · Puerto Limón 48 km · Bocas del Toro 66 km · Siquirres 96 km · Boquete 103 km · Turrialba 105 km · San Isidro 108 km · Paraíso 124 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 Puerto Viejo (9.6569°, -82.7545°, 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).