San Rafael in Summer

In summer (June, July and August), San Rafael sees average daytime highs around 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 1008 mm of rain over about 79 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.

Summer is San Rafael's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see San Rafael's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
25°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
18°C
Rainfall
1008 mm
79 wet days
Avg wind
5 km/h
Travel score
4.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Jun · Jul · Aug

Temperature in San Rafael in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 25°C.

A typical summer day in San Rafael reaches about 25°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest August.

15°20°25°30°JunJulAug

San Rafael weather by month

How the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 16°295.811.57.8
Feb25° / 16°204.111.78.0
Mar26° / 17°205.211.97.5
Apr27° / 17°6211.212.26.2
May25° / 18°33324.712.44.2
Jun25° / 18°39027.312.63.8
Jul24° / 18°2672512.54.3
Aug25° / 18°35226.412.34.0
Sep24° / 17°42428.312.13.7
Oct24° / 17°44428.811.83.8
Nov24° / 17°22421.511.54.8
Dec24° / 17°7210.811.46.9

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

San Rafael gets around 1008 mm of rain over 79 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%100%JunJulAug

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Wind in Summer

Winds average 5 km/h across summer.

0246810JunJulAug

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min in early June to 12 h 12 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJunJulAug

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 4.3 kWh/m².

012345JunJulAug
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for San Rafael

In seasonPeak

In summer, San Rafael overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

San Rafael's rainy season runs May–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is summer a good time to visit San Rafael?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit San Rafael for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Rafael in Summer

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

In summer, San Rafael sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 79 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near San Rafael in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 29°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 54 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in November near 28°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
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in San Rafael in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 13 (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 Rafael peaks around March 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 19UV 15Dec 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in San Rafael in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in San Rafael is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1718 µg/m³Jan 149 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr17Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Rafael?

San Rafael sits at 9.9°N, 84.1°W, 1,037 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is San Felipe, 4.0 km away.

Topography around San Rafael

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Rafael has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 m around an average of 1,104 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,874 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,590 m.

The land around San Rafael is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (35%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 16 km, and trees (67%) within 80 km.

3 km
502 m
16 km
1,874 m
80 km
3,590 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Summer weather nearby: San Felipe 4.0 km · San Jose 6.0 km · Colima 7.0 km · San Juan 7.0 km · San Francisco 7.0 km · Calle Blancos 8.0 km · San Juan de Dios 8.0 km · Heredia 8.0 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 Rafael (9.9283°, -84.1354°, elevation 1,037 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.