San José weather in March

In March, San José sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 80 mm of rain across 19.8 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is San José's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San José's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
23°
4th coldest
Rainfall
80 mm
19.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
5:52 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
37%
1st clearest
Wind
20 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical March day in San José reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°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, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and about 1°C cooler than April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12722
22722
32722
42722
52722
62722
72722
82722
92722
102722
112722
122722
132722
142722
152722
162822
172823
182823
192823
202823
212823
222823
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823
292823
302823
312823

San José weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28515
38515
48515
58515
68515
78515
88416
98416
108416
118416
128416
138416
148416
158416
168416
178317
188317
198317
208317
218317
228416
238416
248416
258416
268416
278317
288218
298218
308119
318020

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

San José gets around 80 mm of rain over 19.8 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 64% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
172
271
371
471
571
671
770
870
970
1069
1169
1268
1367
1467
1566
1665
1764
1863
1962
2061
2160
2260
2359
2458
2558
2657
2757
2857
2957
3057
3157

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
136730
236730
336730
436730
546531
646531
746531
846531
946531
1046531
1146531
1236631
1336631
1436631
1536532
1636532
1736532
1826533
1926533
2026434
2126434
2226335
2316336
2416237
2516138
2615940
2715841
2815643
2915445
3015247
3115049

Wind in March

Winds average 20 km/h in March.

Across March, 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
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:01 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:015:47
211.86:005:47
311.86:005:47
411.85:595:47
511.85:595:47
611.85:585:47
711.85:585:48
811.85:575:48
911.95:575:48
1011.95:565:48
1111.95:555:48
1211.95:555:48
1311.95:545:48
1411.95:545:48
1511.95:535:48
1611.95:525:48
1711.95:525:48
1811.95:515:48
1912.05:515:48
2012.05:505:48
2112.05:495:48
2212.05:495:48
2312.05:485:48
2412.05:485:48
2512.05:475:48
2612.05:465:48
2712.05:465:48
2812.05:455:48
2912.15:445:48
3012.15:445:48
3112.15:435:48

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.93 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 — March's 5.93 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit San José?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for San José in March

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

In March, San José sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near San José in March

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 14 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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