Costa Rica weather in January

In January, Costa Rica sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 13 mm of rain across 1.7 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Costa Rica's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Costa Rica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
12th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Rainfall
13 mm
1.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
7:00 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
39%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Costa Rica is town in Culiacán Municipality, State of Sinaloa, Mexico.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Costa Rica reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22514
32514
42514
52614
62614
72614
82614
92614
102514
112514
122514
132514
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242614
252614
262614
272614
282614
292614
302614
312615

How January really feels in Costa Rica

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Costa Rica 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
Jan26° / 14°131.710.68.4
Feb26° / 15°141.611.18.3
Mar27° / 16°30.511.88.2
Apr29° / 18°10.212.66.9
May31° / 21°10.213.25.7
Jun33° / 25°14213.54.5
Jul34° / 26°10813.713.42.9
Aug33° / 26°16819.112.92.6
Sep33° / 26°17518.412.22.9
Oct32° / 24°434.711.44.6
Nov30° / 19°382.210.86.6
Dec26° / 15°141.710.58.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36733
46733
56733
66733
76733
86733
96634
106634
116634
126634
136535
146535
156535
166436
176535
186535
196535
206535
216535
226535
236535
246535
256535
266535
276634
286634
296634
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Costa Rica gets around 13 mm of rain over 1.7 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 6% and peaks near 7% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
16
25
35
45
55
65
75
85
95
105
115
125
135
145
155
165
175
185
195
205
216
226
236
246
256
266
277
287
297
307
317

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12242333
22241343
32241343
42141343
52141343
62142343
72142343
82042343
92143343
102143343
112143333
122144333
132144333
142144332
152144332
162044332
172045332
182044332
192044332
202144332
212144342
222143342
232143342
242143342
252142342
262242342
272242342
282242343
292242333
302242333
312242333

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
57calm
67calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:58 AM to 6:57 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.56:585:28
210.56:585:28
310.56:585:29
410.56:595:30
510.56:595:30
610.56:595:31
710.56:595:32
810.56:595:32
910.67:005:33
1010.67:005:34
1110.67:005:34
1210.67:005:35
1310.67:005:36
1410.67:005:36
1510.67:005:37
1610.67:005:38
1710.67:005:38
1810.77:005:39
1910.77:005:40
2010.77:005:41
2110.77:005:41
2210.77:005:42
2310.76:595:43
2410.76:595:43
2510.86:595:44
2610.86:595:45
2710.86:595:46
2810.86:585:46
2910.86:585:47
3010.86:585:48
3110.96:575:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.14 kWh/m² to a high of 7.81 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 4.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Costa Rica

In seasonPeak

None of Costa Rica's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Costa Rica sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.

Costa Rica's rainy season runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Costa Rica?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Costa Rica for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Costa Rica in January

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

In January, Costa Rica sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Costa Rica in January

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 34 km away) is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in February near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May25Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul29Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov26Warm
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in Costa Rica in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Costa Rica peaks around May 11 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighMay 11UV 12Dec 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5High
Feb8Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec5High

Air quality in Costa Rica 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 Costa Rica is worst in May — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodMay 1740 µg/m³Jan 111 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May43Poor
Jun23Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Costa Rica?

Costa Rica sits at 24.6°N, 107.4°W, 30 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Licenciado Benito Juárez, 17 km away.

Mazatlan

Topography around Costa Rica

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Costa Rica has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 401 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,932 m.

The land around Costa Rica is covered by cropland (64%) within 3 km, cropland (62%) within 16 km, and trees (39%), water (27%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
401 m
80 km
1,932 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Licenciado Benito Juárez 17 km · Culiacán 24 km · Navolato 37 km · La Cruz 90 km · Guamúchil 119 km · Guasave 154 km · Gabriel Leyva Solano 173 km · Mazatlan 181 km

Mexico travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 / 127 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 54% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,889
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
24.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 440
Religion
Catholic 78%no religion 11%other Evangelical Churches 8%Jehovah Witness 1%

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 Costa Rica (24.5907°, -107.3899°, elevation 30 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).