Upala climate
Upala (Costa Rica) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 1,466 mm58 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Upala climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 2272 | 2679 | 160.6 |
| Feb | 3289 | 2272 | 2780 | 90.4 |
| Mar | 3492 | 2373 | 2883 | 110.4 |
| Apr | 3494 | 2475 | 2984 | 371.4 |
| May | 3290 | 2576 | 2983 | 1857.3 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2576 | 2781 | 1797.0 |
| Jul | 2985 | 2476 | 2780 | 1345.3 |
| Aug | 3085 | 2476 | 2781 | 1797.0 |
| Sep | 2985 | 2476 | 2780 | 25610 |
| Oct | 2983 | 2475 | 2679 | 29712 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2374 | 2679 | 1375.4 |
| Dec | 2984 | 2373 | 2679 | 271.1 |
| Year | 3494 | 2272 | 2781 | 1,46658 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 30% | 5.4 | 11:33 |
| Feb | 70% | 23% | 6.1 | 11:46 |
| Mar | 65% | 26% | 6.6 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 65% | 49% | 6.2 | 12:22 |
| May | 75% | 75% | 5.1 | 12:37 |
| Jun | 86% | 82% | 4.9 | 12:45 |
| Jul | 86% | 79% | 4.9 | 12:42 |
| Aug | 86% | 79% | 5.0 | 12:29 |
| Sep | 88% | 81% | 4.9 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 89% | 80% | 4.5 | 11:52 |
| Nov | 88% | 63% | 4.6 | 11:37 |
| Dec | 84% | 41% | 4.9 | 11:29 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Upala is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 34 °C94 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 23 °C73 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.3 °C5.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,466 mm58 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January–March. The wettest month is October (297 mm12 in), the driest is February (9 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 65% in March to 89% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 23%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in September to 5 km/h (3 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Upala
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 16 mm0.6 in to 27 mm1.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (297 mm12 in) and humid (89% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Upala
- Wetter months (May–November) — highs 2883 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2374 to 25 °C76 °F, about 195 mm7.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (December–April) — highs 2984 to 34 °C94 °F, lows 2272 to 24 °C75 °F, about 20 mm0.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Upala compares
Compared with Puntarenas, about 104 km to the south, Upala is on average 1.2 °C2.1 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in February (1.9 °C3.5 °F cooler).
Of the 4 places in Costa Rica covered by World Climates, Upala is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Costa Rica climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Vũng Tàu (Vietnam, Aw), Quận Sáu (Vietnam, Aw) and Bến Tre (Vietnam, Aw).
Nearby places
- Puntarenas 104 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,518 mm60 in
- San José 148 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,794 mm71 in
- Guápiles 154 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,265 mm89 in
- Masaya 168 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- Managua 192 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- Matagalpa 246 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,196 mm47 in
- León 265 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
- Chinandega 300 km · 29 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Upala?
April is the warmest month in Upala, with an average high of 34 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Upala?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
When does it rain the most in Upala?
October is the wettest month with about 297 mm (11.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 9 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Upala?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 152 m, while Upala lies at about 46 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.