Overview of the weather in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is known for having none of the traditional seasons that North Americans and Europeans are used to. Actually, Costa Rica has two defined stages that occur during the year: The rainy season, commonly mistaken as winter, and the dry season, commonly mistaken as summer. The main difference between these two stages is the rainfall average.
Costa Rica has a stable climate, but it is known to change within minutes or within short distances, this way, you might be enjoying a beautiful sunny afternoon, just to be visited by heavy rain minutes later, or you might be feeling hot in the city and need a jacket for the cold after a 30 minute drive.
Usually, dry season is experienced from December to April and the rainy season runs from May to November, with the highest rainfall average, approximately 650 mm per month, being experienced during September and October.
Temperatures are usually stable in Costa Rica and people get used to the same temperatures in the same areas throughout the year, with slight changes from a month to the other.
One thing that makes Costa Rican weather fantastic is that mornings are commonly sunny all year round, which helps the already relaxed natives to wake up to a nice day and carry out a good attitude wherever they go.
The capital city of San José has a fame of being an eternal spring like city, with temperatures averaging 59ºF at nighttime and up to 78ºF during the day. The Central Valley of Costa Rica has an average temperature of 68ºF and compared to the Caribbean side of the country, this area is considered as dry.
The mentioned Caribbean coast of Costa Rica averages a temperature of 70ºF at night and 86 º F during the day and during the rainy season the rainfall average is of 224 inches (5,600 mm) per year. The thing is that along this Atlantic coast, the peak periods of rainfall are not the same as in the rest of the country, actually September and October are the driest months in this area. Rain is usually experienced during evenings and nights in the Caribbean and this is considered the wettest region in the country.
The North Pacific side of Costa Rica, where the better part of Guanacaste is located is absolutely dry for 6 months of the year. The rainfall average is just 59 inches (1,500 mm) a year. On the other side, the South Pacific side is much wetter, with a rainfall average of 197 inches (5,000 mm) a year.
So basically, even though Costa Rica is a warm and beautiful country, there is definitely a need for a light jacket to be comfortable with any temperature that this country will throw at you.
