San José in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), San José sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 822 mm of rain over about 85 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Fall is San José's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. San José has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see San José's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 23°C
- Rainfall
- 822 mm
- 85 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.6
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in San José in Fall
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical fall day in San José reaches about 27°C and drops to 23°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
San José weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) 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 | 26° / 22° | 171 | 26.8 | 11.4 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 27° / 22° | 113 | 22.1 | 11.6 | 4.8 |
| Mar | 28° / 23° | 80 | 19.8 | 11.9 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 28° / 23° | 63 | 18.1 | 12.2 | 4.8 |
| May | 28° / 24° | 223 | 26.7 | 12.5 | 3.7 |
| Jun | 27° / 24° | 281 | 29.4 | 12.6 | 3.3 |
| Jul | 27° / 23° | 308 | 30.6 | 12.6 | 3.4 |
| Aug | 27° / 23° | 259 | 30.5 | 12.4 | 3.4 |
| Sep | 27° / 23° | 260 | 29.3 | 12.1 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 27° / 23° | 299 | 29.3 | 11.8 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 26° / 23° | 262 | 26.2 | 11.5 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 26° / 22° | 214 | 27.3 | 11.4 | 4.2 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
San José gets around 822 mm of rain over 85 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 12 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min in early September to 11 h 24 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.3 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit San José?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in San José.
What to pack for San José in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, San José sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 85 days see rain.
Sea temperature near San José in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across fall — 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.
| 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 San José in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages 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 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.
| 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 San José in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 19 | Moderate |
| May | 21 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 23 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
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.
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.
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 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.