Costa Rica is a tropical country, situated between 8° and 11° north latitude, fairly close to the equator.
The nation's climate can be divided, to some extent, into 2 major seasons: rainy and dry seasib.
Dry season: January through April
Rainy season: May to December.
Throughout the year there are no great temperature variations between the 2 seasons. The average temperature varies approximately 10 degrees from one season to the other.
The most dramatic annual variation is the level of rain, which is due to the the different wind systems and the country's topography.
During the rainy season, mornings are usually quite sunny, with most of the rain falling in afternoon showers. The 2 months in which the most rain fall are September and October. This however does not apply to the whole country. While in September it rains a great deal in the Pacific side, the Caribbean has a summer type weather.
In General:
- The coastal plains are warm and tropical.
- Mountainous regions are much cooler
- The Central Plateau has a spring-like climate year-round, with little variation in temperature from month to month.
The Caribbean
The rainy season begins from mid to late April and continues through December and sometimes January. The wettest months are July and November, with a dry spell that occurs around August or September.
Major storms, called "temporales del Atlantico" may hit the area between September and February, when it rains continuously for several days. In general, rainy season days will begin clear with a few hours of sunshine that give way to rain by the afternoon. In comparison, the dry months of February and March, might be almost entirely without rainfall.
The Central Valley, San Jose
Experiences a mild, pleasant dry season, with moderate temperatures for most of the year. This area has a lower than average amount of rainfall.
The Pacific
The rainy season here begins in May and goe through November / December. During the rainy season the days often begin with sunshine followed by rain later in the day.
The northern Pacific area experiences a real dry season, in which no rain may fall for months. Winds here can be strong. The northwest or Guanacaste region, has a well-defined dry season from November to May.
The dry season is a month or two shorter along the southern Pacific coast. July also tends to be a dry month on the Pacific slope
The southern half of the Pacific is much wetter than the north, with a shorter dry season and longer and heavier afternoon rains in the wet season.
Manuel Antonio located on the Central Pacific, has a very tropical climate. During the summer months from Dec. to April it is hot with very few showers. During the wet or green season from May to November it will be hot and very muggy with afternoon thunder storms.
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