Climate and average weather in Turrialba
In Turrialba, the weather is warm, wet, and mostly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near warm levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around October.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Turrialba typically varies from 14°C to 23°C, and is rarely below 12°C or above 25°C. September is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Turrialba for warm-weather activities are from early January to mid April and early December to late December.
- Hottest
- Sep
- 23°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 14°
- Wettest
- Oct
- 461 mm
- Driest
- Mar
- 151 mm
- Rain / yr
- 3535 mm
- 312 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.4–12.6 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 674 m
- 9.9°N
- Clearest
- Feb
- 62% cloud
Turrialba weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to mid April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Turrialba, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Turrialba stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is September, with an average high of 23°C and low of 16°C; the coolest is January, with an average low of 14°C and high of 20°C.
Days typically run about 7°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| Avg low (°C) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 14 |
| Feb | 21 | 14 |
| Mar | 21 | 14 |
| Apr | 22 | 15 |
| May | 23 | 17 |
| Jun | 23 | 17 |
| Jul | 23 | 17 |
| Aug | 23 | 16 |
| Sep | 23 | 16 |
| Oct | 23 | 16 |
| Nov | 22 | 16 |
| Dec | 21 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Turrialba
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on September afternoons, near 23°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 14°C.
Turrialba weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20° / 14° | 228 | 19.9 | 11.5 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 21° / 14° | 154 | 17.8 | 11.7 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 21° / 14° | 151 | 21.9 | 11.9 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 22° / 15° | 160 | 24.2 | 12.2 | 4.2 |
| May | 23° / 17° | 389 | 29.8 | 12.4 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 23° / 17° | 340 | 29.4 | 12.6 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 23° / 17° | 277 | 29.4 | 12.5 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 23° / 16° | 286 | 29.6 | 12.3 | 3.6 |
| Sep | 23° / 16° | 354 | 29.5 | 12.1 | 3.5 |
| Oct | 23° / 16° | 461 | 30.3 | 11.8 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 22° / 16° | 427 | 27.8 | 11.5 | 3.7 |
| Dec | 21° / 15° | 308 | 22.4 | 11.4 | 4.5 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Turrialba gets about 3535 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 7.3 months, from around Apr 21 to Nov 29, peaking in September at about 99% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 27.
October is the wettest month by volume, with 461 mm over about 30 wet days; March is the driest, with 151 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 64 | 64 | 70 | 82 | 96 | 98 | 95 | 96 | 98 | 97 | 91 | 74 |
| Rain days | 20 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 22 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 20 |
| Feb | 64 | 18 |
| Mar | 70 | 22 |
| Apr | 82 | 24 |
| May | 96 | 30 |
| Jun | 98 | 29 |
| Jul | 95 | 29 |
| Aug | 96 | 30 |
| Sep | 98 | 30 |
| Oct | 97 | 30 |
| Nov | 91 | 28 |
| Dec | 74 | 22 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Turrialba collects about 3535 mm of rain across 312 wet days — roughly 295 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. October is the wettest month with 461 mm, while March is the driest at just 151 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 36% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 228 | 154 | 151 | 160 | 389 | 340 | 277 | 286 | 354 | 461 | 427 | 308 |
| Rain days | 20 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 22 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 228 | 20 |
| Feb | 154 | 18 |
| Mar | 151 | 22 |
| Apr | 160 | 24 |
| May | 389 | 30 |
| Jun | 340 | 29 |
| Jul | 277 | 29 |
| Aug | 286 | 30 |
| Sep | 354 | 30 |
| Oct | 461 | 30 |
| Nov | 427 | 28 |
| Dec | 308 | 22 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Turrialba, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around November 25 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around April 16. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 43% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 17 and lasts for 7.3 months, ending around November 24. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 98% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 42 | 43 | 33 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 31 |
| Cloudier (%) | 58 | 57 | 67 | 83 | 97 | 98 | 96 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 88 | 69 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 58 |
| Feb | 43 | 57 |
| Mar | 33 | 67 |
| Apr | 17 | 83 |
| May | 3 | 97 |
| Jun | 2 | 98 |
| Jul | 4 | 96 |
| Aug | 3 | 97 |
| Sep | 3 | 97 |
| Oct | 3 | 97 |
| Nov | 12 | 88 |
| Dec | 31 | 69 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 6, brings about 12 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 11 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.5 | 11.7 | 11.9 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 12.5 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 11.5 | 11.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:00 | 5:59 | 5:46 | 5:28 | 5:17 | 5:18 | 5:25 | 5:29 | 5:27 | 5:26 | 5:34 | 5:48 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:28 | 5:40 | 5:42 | 5:42 | 5:45 | 5:52 | 5:56 | 5:49 | 5:31 | 5:13 | 5:06 | 5:14 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.5 | 6:00 | 5:28 |
| Feb | 11.7 | 5:59 | 5:40 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 5:46 | 5:42 |
| Apr | 12.2 | 5:28 | 5:42 |
| May | 12.4 | 5:17 | 5:45 |
| Jun | 12.6 | 5:18 | 5:52 |
| Jul | 12.5 | 5:25 | 5:56 |
| Aug | 12.3 | 5:29 | 5:49 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 5:27 | 5:31 |
| Oct | 11.8 | 5:26 | 5:13 |
| Nov | 11.5 | 5:34 | 5:06 |
| Dec | 11.4 | 5:48 | 5:14 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Turrialba averages about 2 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 6 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.5 months, from around Nov 25 to Apr 11. The sunniest month is February, with roughly 5 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is May, down near 0 sunny days — about 99% fewer than the February peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 5 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 3 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 1 | Gloomy |
| May | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 0 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 0 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 0 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 0 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 1 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 4 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Turrialba, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 7.3 months, from around April 19 to November 27. The muggiest month is May, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 96% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around November 28 to April 18, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 77% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 9 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Comfortable (%) | 68 | 62 | 54 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 49 |
| Humid (%) | 23 | 24 | 37 | 67 | 79 | 83 | 91 | 92 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 49 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 68 | 23 | 0 |
| Feb | 12 | 62 | 24 | 1 |
| Mar | 7 | 54 | 37 | 1 |
| Apr | 2 | 28 | 67 | 3 |
| May | 0 | 4 | 79 | 18 |
| Jun | 0 | 1 | 83 | 16 |
| Jul | 0 | 4 | 91 | 5 |
| Aug | 0 | 2 | 92 | 6 |
| Sep | 0 | 1 | 89 | 10 |
| Oct | 0 | 2 | 87 | 11 |
| Nov | 0 | 16 | 82 | 2 |
| Dec | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Turrialba is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 5 | calm |
| May | 4 | calm |
| Jun | 4 | calm |
| Jul | 4 | calm |
| Aug | 4 | calm |
| Sep | 4 | calm |
| Oct | 4 | calm |
| Nov | 4 | calm |
| Dec | 5 | calm |
Best time to visit Turrialba
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Turrialba throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early April, Turrialba is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Turrialba for general outdoor tourist activities is from early December to mid April, with a peak score in the last week of January.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | poor | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.0 | fair |
| Feb | 5.0 | fair |
| Mar | 4.8 | fair |
| Apr | 4.2 | fair |
| May | 3.6 | fair |
| Jun | 3.5 | fair |
| Jul | 3.6 | fair |
| Aug | 3.6 | fair |
| Sep | 3.5 | fair |
| Oct | 3.5 | poor |
| Nov | 3.7 | fair |
| Dec | 4.5 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. In Turrialba it holds close to 3.2 all year, so any month is about as good as another for hot-weather activities.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Turrialba, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Turrialba packs about the same all year — highs hold near 23°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In September, Turrialba sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 30 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Turrialba
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 62 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in January 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 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 28 | Warm |
| Apr | 28 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index (midday) in Turrialba by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Turrialba peaks around March 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (extreme).
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) | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Turrialba
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in March the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 6 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8 | 6.5 |
| May | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 6 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 7 | 5 |
Air quality in Turrialba by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Turrialba 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 19 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 14 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
Growing season
Turrialba is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Turrialba banks about 3,231 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 217 | 199 | 239 | 264 | 305 | 302 | 299 | 302 | 297 | 300 | 265 | 243 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 217 |
| Feb | 199 |
| Mar | 239 |
| Apr | 264 |
| May | 305 |
| Jun | 302 |
| Jul | 299 |
| Aug | 302 |
| Sep | 297 |
| Oct | 300 |
| Nov | 265 |
| Dec | 243 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Turrialba receives about 4.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.6 and 5.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around Jan 10 to May 9. The brightest month is March, averaging about 5.7 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is November, down near 3.7 kWh/m² — roughly 36% less than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.7 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.3 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.7 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.5 | Bright |
| May | 4.4 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.3 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.5 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.5 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.0 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4.1 | Bright |
Where is Turrialba?
Turrialba sits at 9.9°N, 83.7°W, 674 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Paraíso, 21 km away.
Topography around Turrialba
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Turrialba.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Turrialba has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 654 m around an average of 757 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,066 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,765 m.
The land around Turrialba is covered by trees (67%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (76%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) 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 Turrialba (9.9037°, -83.6836°, elevation 674 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).