San José in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), San José sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 498 mm of rain over about 76 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is San José's 2nd-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
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 22°C
- Rainfall
- 498 mm
- 76 wet days
- Avg wind
- 21 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.5
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in San José in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in San José reaches about 26°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
San José weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
San José gets around 498 mm of rain over 76 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 21 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.6 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit San José?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit San José for sightseeing.
What to pack for San José in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, San José sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 76 days see rain.
Sea temperature near San José in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°C across winter — 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 Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 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 Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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.