Weather
Costa Rica´s year round climate is pleasant with naturally occurring breezes cooling down most of the coastal areas. It has only two seasons: dry and green. The dry season with very little rain is generally between late December and April and the green (or wet season) lasts the rest of the year - May through November and still offers an average of about 5 hours of daily sunshine. The Caribbean coast doesn't have this extended dry weather and stays green all year round and due to the humidity, tends to be a little oppressive sometimes. The Central Mountainous Region is more temperate.
Temperatures vary little between seasons. The main influence on temperature is altitude. San José has a climate which the locals refer to as the "eternal Spring" with delightful weather all year around! The coasts are much hotter, with the Pacific side a few degrees warmer than the Caribbean side, but the humidity is generally less, so it tends to be more comfortable. The Monteverde Cloud Forest is in a much higher altitude, and therefore the temperatures can be chilly in the mornings and evenings. Visitors should bring a sweater, rain gear and footwear. The weather changes quickly, often making the air feel colder.
The Northern Pacific Region is referred to as the "Gold Coast" and has an abundance of large resort hotels because of the drier and sunnier climate. It is also referred to as the "Guanacaste Area", along with the greener, because of more rainfall, of the Central Pacific Region. You can be quite comfortable in the lowlands weather of either side if you dress minimally, don't exercise too much, and limit your exposure to the midday, intense tropical sun.
TEMPERATURE CHART: Temperature (ºF) Average lows and highs
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
Guanacaste |
85/90 |
85/90 |
85/90 |
88/90 |
88/90 |
85/88 |
Manuel Antonio |
69/87 |
69/87 |
71/89 |
71/89 |
71/89 |
71/89 |
Monteverde |
53/68 |
53/89 |
53/71 |
55/71 |
57/71 |
57/71 |
| Puntarenas | 71/96 | 71/96 | 73/95 | 73/95 | 76/91 | 73/89 |
| San Jose | 58/78 | 58/82 | 59/82 | 62/82 | 62/82 | 62/78 |
| Tortuguero | 68/88 | 68/88 | 59/87 | 71/87 | 71/87 | 71/87 |
|
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Guanacaste |
88/90 |
85/88 |
85/88 |
85/90 |
85/88 |
85/88 |
Manuel Antonio |
69/87 |
69/86 |
71/86 |
71/86 |
71/86 |
69/86 |
Monteverde |
57/69 |
57/69 |
55/71 |
57/69 |
57/68 |
57/69 |
| Puntarenas | 73/91 | 73/91 | 73/89 | 73/89 | 73/89 | 71/91 |
| San Jose | 62/78 | 61/78 | 61/78 | 60/78 | 60/78 | 58/78 |
| Tortuguero | 71/88 | 71/86 | 71/87 | 71/87 | 69/85 | 69/88 |
RAINFALL CHART: Average in inches
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
Guanacaste |
0.39 |
0.39 |
0.67 |
1.65 |
7.87 |
10.82 |
Manuel Antonio |
2.83 |
1.42 |
2.36 |
6.57 |
15.43 |
17.05 |
Monteverde |
6.3 |
3.82 |
1.65 |
4.80 |
13.70 |
16.54 |
| Puntarenas | 0.28 | 0.24 | 0.2 | 1.22 | 7.56 | 8.98 |
| San Jose | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 1.8 | 9 | 9.5 |
| Tortuguero | 12.48 | 8.31 | 8.03 | 10.87 | 11.10 | 11.65 |
|
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Guanacaste |
5.71 |
8.62 |
13.23 |
10.47 |
3.34 |
0.75 |
Manuel Antonio |
18.15 |
18.82 |
20.79 |
25.35 |
15.28 |
6.65 |
Monteverde |
14.13 |
18.03 |
19.41 |
16.77 |
16.89 |
12.99 |
| Puntarenas | 6.26 | 9.02 | 11.73 | 10.75 | 4.72 | 1.18 |
| San Jose | 8.3 | 9.5 | 12.0 | 11.8 | 5.7 | 1.6 |
| Tortuguero | 16.81 | 12.28 | 5.71 | 8.91 | 15.39 | 17.56 |