Costa Rica weather in October

In October, Costa Rica sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 43 mm of rain across 4.7 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in October, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Costa Rica's 2nd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Costa Rica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
5th warmest
Overnight low
24°
8th coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
4.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:12 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
28%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical October day in Costa Rica reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 3°C warmer than November.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23325
33325
43325
53325
63325
73325
83325
93325
103325
113324
123324
133324
143324
153324
163324
173324
183224
193223
203223
213223
223223
233223
243223
253222
263222
273222
283222
293222
303122
313121

How October really feels in Costa Rica

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 31 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
31
14 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Costa Rica weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27426
37624
47624
57822
67822
78020
88020
98119
108119
118317
128317
138416
148416
158416
168515
178515
188515
198416
208416
218515
228515
238515
248416
258416
268416
278218
288218
298119
308119
318020

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Costa Rica gets around 43 mm of rain over 4.7 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 16% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
233
331
429
527
626
724
823
921
1020
1119
1217
1316
1415
1514
1613
1712
1812
1911
2010
2110
2210
239
249
258
268
278
288
298
308
318

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the miserable band about 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
100001090
200001288
300011386
400011584
500011683
600011881
700022078
800032176
900032374
1000142570
1100152767
1200162964
1300173062
1400193258
15001103455
16001113652
17001123749
18002133946
19002154043
20012164140
21013184336
22013194433
23014214530
24014224527
25015244624
26016254621
27017274618
28127294616
29128304614
30129324511
31121033459

Wind in October

Winds average 7 km/h in October.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of October to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:05 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:055:52
211.76:065:51
311.76:065:50
411.76:075:49
511.76:075:48
611.76:075:47
711.66:085:46
811.66:085:45
911.66:095:44
1011.66:095:43
1111.56:105:42
1211.56:105:41
1311.56:115:40
1411.56:115:39
1511.46:125:38
1611.46:125:37
1711.46:135:36
1811.46:135:35
1911.36:145:34
2011.36:145:34
2111.36:155:33
2211.36:155:32
2311.36:165:31
2411.26:165:30
2511.26:175:30
2611.26:185:29
2711.26:185:28
2811.16:195:28
2911.16:195:27
3011.16:205:26
3111.16:215:26

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.29 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 — October's 5.29 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Costa Rica

In seasonPeak

In October, Costa Rica sits inside its pacific hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 October a good time to visit Costa Rica?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Costa Rica for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Costa Rica in October

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

In October, Costa Rica sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Costa Rica in October

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

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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