Turrialba weather in January

In January, Turrialba sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 228 mm of rain across 19.9 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Turrialba's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Turrialba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
12th warmest
Overnight low
14°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
228 mm
19.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:00 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
64%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical January day in Turrialba reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12114
22114
32114
42114
52014
62014
72014
82014
92014
102014
112014
122014
132014
142014
152014
162014
172014
182014
192014
202014
212014
222014
232014
242013
252013
262013
272013
282013
292013
302013
312013

Turrialba weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 14°22819.911.55.0
Feb21° / 14°15417.811.75.0
Mar21° / 14°15121.911.94.7
Apr22° / 15°16024.212.24.2
May23° / 17°38929.812.43.6
Jun23° / 17°34029.412.63.5
Jul23° / 17°27729.412.53.6
Aug23° / 16°28629.612.33.6
Sep23° / 16°35429.512.13.5
Oct23° / 16°46130.311.83.5
Nov22° / 16°42727.811.53.7
Dec21° / 15°30822.411.44.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43862
53961
63961
73961
84060
93961
104060
114060
124159
134159
144159
154357
164357
174357
184357
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254654
264654
274654
284654
294654
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Turrialba gets around 228 mm of rain over 19.9 wet days in January. 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 70% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
170
270
370
470
570
669
769
868
968
1067
1166
1265
1364
1463
1563
1662
1761
1861
1961
2060
2160
2260
2360
2459
2559
2659
2759
2859
2959
3059
3159

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1264340
2265330
3365320
4366310
5466300
6468280
7568270
8569260
9669250
10670240
11770230
12870220
13969220
14970210
151070200
161070200
171170190
181170190
191270180
201270180
211270180
221270180
231270180
241370170
251370170
261370170
271369180
281468180
291467181
301467181
311467181

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:55 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:555:21
211.45:555:21
311.45:565:22
411.45:565:22
511.45:565:23
611.45:575:23
711.45:575:24
811.45:575:24
911.55:585:25
1011.55:585:25
1111.55:585:26
1211.55:595:26
1311.55:595:27
1411.55:595:27
1511.55:595:28
1611.56:005:28
1711.56:005:29
1811.56:005:29
1911.56:005:30
2011.56:005:30
2111.56:015:31
2211.56:015:31
2311.56:015:32
2411.56:015:32
2511.56:015:33
2611.56:015:33
2711.56:015:33
2811.56:015:34
2911.66:015:34
3011.66:015:35
3111.66:015:35

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.73 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Turrialba?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Turrialba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Turrialba in January

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

In January, Turrialba sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Turrialba in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Turrialba in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 20UV 14Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Turrialba in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

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 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.

ParaísoCartagoSiquirresSan DiegoGuápilesIpísCurridabatPurral

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.

3 km
654 m
16 km
3,066 m
80 km
3,765 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Paraíso 21 km · Cartago 26 km · Siquirres 29 km · San Diego 35 km · Guápiles 37 km · Ipís 37 km · Curridabat 39 km · Purral 39 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 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).