Turrialba weather in May

In May, Turrialba sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 389 mm of rain across 29.8 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in May, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Turrialba's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Turrialba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
389 mm
29.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:17 AM – 5:45 PM
Cloud cover
92%
11th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical May day in Turrialba reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12316
22316
32316
42316
52316
62316
72316
82316
92316
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212317
222317
232317
242317
252317
262317
272317
282317
292317
302317
312317

Turrialba weather by month

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

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 97%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2694
3694
4694
5595
6595
7496
8496
9496
10397
11397
12397
13397
14397
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21298
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30298
31298

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Turrialba gets around 389 mm of rain over 29.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 96% and peaks near 99% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
291
391
492
592
693
793
894
994
1095
1195
1295
1396
1496
1596
1697
1797
1897
1997
2097
2198
2298
2398
2498
2598
2698
2798
2899
2999
3099
3199

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the humid band about 79% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 18% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
111818
210828
39829
48839
578310
668311
768212
858312
958213
1048214
1148115
1238017
1337918
1427919
1527919
1627820
1727721
1817821
1917821
2017722
2117722
2217722
2317722
2417722
2517623
2617623
2717623
2817623
2917623
3017623
3117623

Wind in May

Winds average 4 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:22 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:225:42
212.45:215:42
312.45:215:43
412.45:215:43
512.45:205:43
612.45:205:43
712.45:205:43
812.45:195:43
912.45:195:43
1012.45:195:43
1112.45:185:44
1212.45:185:44
1312.45:185:44
1412.45:185:44
1512.45:185:44
1612.55:175:45
1712.55:175:45
1812.55:175:45
1912.55:175:45
2012.55:175:45
2112.55:175:46
2212.55:175:46
2312.55:165:46
2412.55:165:46
2512.55:165:47
2612.55:165:47
2712.55:165:47
2812.55:165:47
2912.55:165:48
3012.55:165:48
3112.55:165:48

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.4 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 — May's 4.4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Turrialba?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Turrialba.

What to pack for Turrialba in May

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

In May, Turrialba sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 30 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Turrialba in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks 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 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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