San José weather in December

In December, San José sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 214 mm of rain across 27.3 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-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 December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is San José's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San José's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
22°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
214 mm
27.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:56 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

San José is populated place in Upala district of Costa Rico.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical December day in San José reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12623
22623
32623
42623
52622
62622
72622
82622
92622
102622
112622
122622
132622
142622
152622
162622
172622
182622
192622
202622
212622
222622
232622
242622
252622
262622
272622
282622
292622
302622
312622

San José weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 22°17126.811.44.5
Feb27° / 22°11322.111.64.8
Mar28° / 23°8019.811.95.3
Apr28° / 23°6318.112.24.8
May28° / 24°22326.712.53.7
Jun27° / 24°28129.412.63.3
Jul27° / 23°30830.612.63.4
Aug27° / 23°25930.512.43.4
Sep27° / 23°26029.312.13.4
Oct27° / 23°29929.311.83.5
Nov26° / 23°26226.211.54.0
Dec26° / 22°21427.311.44.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
35149
45149
55248
65347
75446
85545
95644
105644
115842
125842
135941
146040
156139
166238
176337
186535
196634
206733
216832
226832
236931
246931
257030
267129
277129
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San José gets around 214 mm of rain over 27.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 88% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
289
389
489
588
688
788
888
987
1087
1187
1287
1387
1487
1587
1687
1787
1887
1988
2088
2188
2289
2389
2489
2590
2690
2790
2890
2991
3090
3190

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
122078
212079
322078
422177
522177
622177
722276
822276
922375
1032374
1132473
1232572
1332572
1432671
1532770
1632869
1732968
1833067
1923167
2023266
2123365
2223464
2323563
2423662
2523662
2623761
2723761
2823860
2923959
3023959
3134057

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 5:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:485:12
211.45:495:13
311.45:495:13
411.45:505:13
511.45:505:14
611.45:515:14
711.45:515:14
811.45:525:14
911.45:525:15
1011.45:535:15
1111.45:535:16
1211.45:545:16
1311.45:545:16
1411.45:555:17
1511.45:555:17
1611.45:565:18
1711.45:565:18
1811.45:575:18
1911.45:575:19
2011.45:585:19
2111.45:585:20
2211.45:595:20
2311.45:595:21
2411.46:005:21
2511.46:005:22
2611.46:015:22
2711.46:015:23
2811.46:015:23
2911.46:025:24
3011.46:025:24
3111.46:035:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit San José?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit San José for sightseeing.

What to pack for San José in December

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

In December, San José sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near San José in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 65 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.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in San José in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San José peaks around March 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 18UV 14Dec 16UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in San José in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in San José is worst in July — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Dec 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr19Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is San José?

San José sits at 11.0°N, 85.1°W, 50 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is San Carlos, 44 km away.

San CarlosLiberiaCañasLa FortunaMonteverdeEl CastilloSan Juan del Sur

Topography around San José

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San José has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 659 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,977 m.

The land around San José is covered by grassland (51%) and trees (48%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and grassland (36%) within 16 km, and trees (45%), water (27%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
55 m
16 km
659 m
80 km
1,977 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: San Carlos 44 km · Liberia 48 km · Cañas 58 km · La Fortuna 76 km · Monteverde 80 km · El Castillo 81 km · San Juan del Sur 87 km · Rivas 93 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 San José (10.9519°, -85.1357°, elevation 50 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).